A strong India A squad featuring several established senior team members will look to make the most of the four-day opener against New Zealand A, beginning here on Saturday, as the visitors prepare for next month’s two-Test series.
Led by wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, India A will begin their campaign at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, with the match offering valuable exposure to local conditions ahead of the senior team’s crucial World Test Championship (WTC) assignment starting November 19 in Wellington.
Senior batters K.L. Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are among the prominent names in the squad, alongside Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Sai Sudharsan and pacers Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar.
Rishabh Pant will miss out on the action as he remains at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, still recovering from a left-side strain while leading the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup. Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra has been named his replacement for the first two matches.
A decision on Pant’s availability for the third match will be made at a later date. Skipper Jurel is also available as a wicketkeeping option.
The importance of the three unofficial Tests was not lost on Indian senior team’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
“There is a lot of importance of India A series. Because, a lot of Test players, a lot of fringe players, those who are waiting for their opportunity, it is also very good for them.
“And, before the Test series, even for the senior players, somewhere or the other, the match practice of the red ball is very important. So, all in all, the setup that has been done, which the BCCI has kept with the India A series, will definitely help the team,” Kotak told reporters.
Akash Deep, who is also in India’s Test squad, will be among the bowlers looking to build rhythm and match fitness.
The scheduling, however, could affect the availability of some senior players for the entire A series, with India’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning on November 4.
The second and third unofficial Tests are scheduled for October 31 to November 3 in Christchurch and November 7 to 10 in Lincoln.
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New Zealand A, meanwhile, will also look to use the series to test their players against an experienced Indian line-up.
New Zealand on Friday named an extended 19-member squad featuring 11 current and former players for the three four-day matches against India A.
Canterbury’s Rhys Mariu will captain New Zealand A in the first two matches, while the captain for the third game will be decided later.
The squad includes Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Fisher, Mitch Hay, Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Henry Nicholls and Tim Robinson, who have represented New Zealand at the international level.
SQUADS:
India A: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (C & wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudarsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.
New Zealand A: Rhys Mariu (C.), Matt Boyle, Max Chu, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Mitch Hay (wk), Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Jayden Lennox, Jarrod McKay, Tim Robinson, Fraser Sheat.
Published on Oct 23, 2026
