India A cricket team
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What is India A?
India A is the second-tier national team that bridges the gap between domestic cricket and the senior national side. It features standout domestic players and occasionally those not currently in national contention. Matches played by India A are classified as first-class and List A, giving players exposure to high-quality competition .
Established officially in 1992, the team has participated in prominent tournaments like the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy—winning it multiple times—and clinched the Duleep Trophy in 2024 .
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Structure & Leadership
Head Coach: Hrishikesh Kanitkar leads the team, supported by a strong coaching and support staff including batting and spin coaches, physiotherapist, and performance analyst .
Current Captains:
Test: Abhimanyu Easwaran
ODI: Yash Dhull
T20I: Tilak Varma
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Current Squad (as of May 27, 2025)
A versatile mix of batters, all-rounders, wicket-keepers, spinners, and pacers—many of whom are under national radar or already capped:
Batters: Ayush Badoni, Ricky Bhui, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Baba Indrajith, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal, Ramandeep Singh, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera
All-rounders: Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Shardul Thakur
Wicket-keepers: KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Ishan Kishan, Abishek Porel, Anuj Rawat, Prabhsimran Singh
Spinners: Rahul Chahar, Sai Kishore, Hrithik Shokeen
Pacers: Vaibhav Arora, Yash Dayal, Akash Deep, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Aaqib Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini, Rasikh Salam
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Upcoming Fixtures & Recent Results
Scheduled Tours (2025):
Against Australia A:
2 Unofficial Tests starting 16 & 23 Sept in Lucknow
3 Unofficial ODIs from 30 Sept, in Kanpur
Against South Africa A:
2 Unofficial Tests starting 30 Oct, in Bengaluru
3 Unofficial ODIs from 13 Nov, in Rajkot
Recent Performance Highlights:
Draws in both Unofficial Tests during the England Lions tour (2025) .
In the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, India A enjoyed wins against UAE (by 7 wickets), Oman (by 6 wickets), and Pakistan A (by 7 runs), but lost to Afghanistan A in the semi-finals .
India A also performed strongly in the Duleep Trophy 2024, winning against India C and India D with emphatic margins .
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Why India A Matters
India A plays a pivotal role in India's cricketing ecosystem:
Acts as a testing ground for players on the cusp of senior selection, helping them experience near-international standards.
Enables talented players like Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy to transition into the senior team mid-tour—demonstrating a dynamic development strategy .
Provides match-ready exposure through tours and domestic tournaments—critical for building bench strength and future stars of Indian cricket.
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Summary Table
Aspect Details
Purpose Developmental team bridging domestic and national levels
Coaching Staff Headed by Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Captains Easwaran (Test), Yash Dhull (ODI), Tilak Varma (T20I)
Notable Players KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, etc.
Fixtures Tours vs Australia A & South Africa A in late 2025
Recent Successes Strong showings in Emerging T20 Cup & Duleep Trophy
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