The Indian cricket team will have a very busy schedule starting from mid-September. A three-match T20I series will be followed by a one-off T20I against Japan. The last week of September is going to see two different Indian teams playing international cricket. One will be up against the West Indies, while the other contingent will participate in the Asian Games.
But there’s another exciting series lined up. In terms of preparation, BCCI have honed in on scheduling more ‘A’ team games and this time, Australia A team is coming to play a couple of unofficial Tests and three unofficial One-Day matches against India A. Indian domestic cricketers are going to have a gruelling season. Duleep Trophy was completed in the August-September window. Now after this ‘A’ series, there will be Irani Trophy and Ranji Trophy coming up.
All eyes on the unofficial Tests
For the two unofficial Tests, Indian batter Devdutt Padikkal has been named as the skipper. Padikkal had a dream Test series in Sri Lanka and these red ball games will be important for him to stay in touch ahead of the New Zealand series. Sai Sudharsan is back after recovering from his injury and this is going to be a very important series for him.
Among the other top order batters, Vidarbha’s Aman Mokhade and Andhra Pradesh’s Shaik Rasheed are there. Middle order batter Yash Rathod’s selection meant that the selectors have put more emphasis on the domestic performance. Narayan Jagadeesan and Kumar Kushagra are named as keeper-batters in the team.
The all-rounder strength of the team is a concern for the India A side. Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian – The two spinners who have proved to be extremely consistent in domestic cricket will also lead the spin department. The Mumbaikars have a big responsibility on their shoulders. But the issue is with the pace bowling all-rounders. Nachiket Bhute and Anshul Kamboj are selected, but both of them are pacers who can bat a bit and hit a few long balls.
In the pace bowling department, uncertainty looms around Vyshak Vijaykumar’s availability, as the Karnataka pacer has to clear a fitness test. The other two pacers in the side are Tushar Deshpande and Praful Hinge.
How good is the one-day side?
The squad for unofficial one-day games have a huge concern with their spin bowling strength. The squad is built up more on pacers leaving only Nishant Sindhu and Vipraj Nigam as spin bowling options. Sindhu’s left arm spin can check the runs in the middle overs, but he is not a strike bowler by any means. But, the pace attack is a quality one with Arshad khan, Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur in the line-up.
The one-day side’s strength is bolstered by their powerhouse batting. Skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad boasts a List A average of 58.61.
Padikkal, the second-highest run getter of last edition’s Vijay Hazare Trophy, has been named as Gaikwad’s deputy. Presence of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh on top and a classy stroke player like Rajat Patidar in the middle has kept the India A side well ahead on paper.
The headline of the entire selection is the name of Hardik Pandya in the one-day squad. Though an asterisk mark beside his name implies that his availability is based on his fitness, his name is enough to give fans a glimmer of hope. The 33-year old all-rounder made a comeback in last year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy and played the T20 World Cup and IPL, but a quadriceps strain and calf niggle sidelined him after May, 2026.
He missed India’s UK and Zimbabwe tour, but from the team’s perspective, it is necessary for Pandya to recover quickly and get as much game time as possible ahead of the all important 2027 Cricket World Cup.
The action will get underway from 22nd September to 11th October. All the games will happen at Puducherry. India have a lot to ponder. There’s still uncertainty looming around on who will be the third Test opener in overseas conditions and in white-ball games, Indian management will closely monitor Hardik’s progress.
India A Squad for Unofficial Tests: Devdutt Padikkal (c), Narayan Jagadeesan, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Pandey, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Praful Hinge, Nachiket Bhute, Vyshak Vijaykumar*
India A Squad for Unofficial One-Days: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devdutt Padikkal (vc), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Arshin Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya*, Naman Dhir, Arshad Khan, Gurjapneet Singh, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam
*Subject to fitness
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