KL Rahul, Jaiswal, Pant among 11 Test players selected for India Tour of New Zealand

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant headline the 15-strong India A squad for the three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A starting on October 24.

As many as 11 players with Test experience have been picked for the tour, notable names include the team’s senior vice-captain Rahul, his opening partner Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal. Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Sai Sudharsan and Manav Suthar, who are all in the mix for the Indian senior side, have also been included.

However, the BCCI did not specify how many of the three matches Rahul, Jaiswal and Washington will play. All three are also part of India’s ODI plans for the New Zealand series, creating a scheduling complication for India A’s tour.

The first unofficial Test will be played in Lincoln from 24 to 28 October, followed by the second in Christchurch from 31 October to 3 November. The third match will be played again in Lincoln from 7 to 10 November.

India’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand begins on November 4, with the second and third matches scheduled for November 7 and 10. This makes it difficult for Rahul, Jaiswal and Washington to feature in all three India A matches while also being available for the senior ODI side.

The choice of trousers depends on the condition. The wicket-keeper batsman is expected to be part of India’s plans for the two Tests against New Zealand in the Test World Cup, while Jurel, who has been named the captain of the India A side, remains his replacement.

Sudharsan is also expected to be in contention for the senior Test squad, while Suthar is among the spin options.

The squad also includes three other players who have represented India in Test cricket: pacers Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar.

Akash Deep is expected to be a part of India’s Test squad and the A series will give him valuable match practice ahead of his upcoming senior team assignments. Mukesh Kumar, meanwhile, returns to the national reckoning after an impressive spell in the Irani Cup final.

Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is also part of the squad. His inclusion brings the number of players in the group with international caps to 12.

The three uncapped players are prolific domestic batsman Smaran Ravichandran, Vidarbha batsman Yash Rathod and left-arm spinner Mukesh Choudhary.

INDIA AND THE SQUAD: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant* (WK), Dhruv Jurel (C) (WK), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Yash Rathodharsan.

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