In a major shock before India A and Australia A’s second unofficial Test, Shreyas Iyer has withdrawn from the match, which commences on Tuesday, September 23, in Lucknow. The sudden India A captain’s withdrawal is surprising, particularly considering his non-selection for India’s Asia Cup team despite a solid IPL 2025 outing.
Shreyas Iyer Pulls Out Due to Personal Reasons
As per sources familiar with the situation, Shreyas Iyer is back to Mumbai as captain of India A after the four-day, high-scoring Test match between India A and Australia A on September 19.
While there has been no formal statement from Iyer directly, it has been understood that he expressed personal reasons for his unavailability to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Attempts to reach Iyer for comment have not been successful.
Captaincy Switch: Dhruv Jurel or Rajat Patidar Expected to Captain
With Shreyas Iyer demitting the team, the captaincy job can go to either Dhruv Jurel, the official vice-captain, or Rajat Patidar, who was not originally in the India A team but now is said to be on the consideration list to captain the team. Jurel, being one of the squad’s two wicketkeepers as well, is likely to have a go unless Patidar is officially included in the XI and picked to captain.
Underwhelming First Match Performance for Iyer
Iyer’s performance in the first four-day game was not good as he only managed eight runs in a match that was drawn. This disappointing performance comes after weeks of debate about his omission from India’s Asia Cup team after he performed well in the IPL 2025, meaning there are further worries about his state and form.
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KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj Join India A Squad
In a boost to the squad, KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj have joined the India A team in Lucknow for the second match. As per the BCCI’s earlier announcement, both players were scheduled to be added to the squad after the conclusion of the first match. They are expected to replace two existing players in the playing XI.
Updated India A Squad for Second Match
Abhimanyu Easwaran
N Jagadeesan (WK)
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Sai Sudharsan
Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK)
Devdutt Padikkal
Harsh Dubey
Ayush Badoni
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Tanush Kotian
Prasidh Krishna
Gurnoor Brar
Khaleel Ahmed
Manav Suthar
Yash Thakur
KL Rahul
Mohammed Siraj
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