Easwaran to lead India A against England A; Karun Nair also named in squad
The touring party includes Jaiswal and Shardul, with Gill and Sai Sudharsan to join ahead of second game
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-May-2025 • 8 hrs ago
Karun Nair gets an opportunity to stake his claims for a Test comeback after eight years • PTI
Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead India A on their upcoming tour of England, where they are set to play two first-class matches against England A. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will be Easwaran's deputy, with the 18-man squad also including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shardul Thakur and Karun Nair.
Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, will join the squad ahead of the second match.
Apart from Jurel, Ishan Kishan is the other wicketkeeper-batter in the squad. Both were part of the India A side that played two unofficial Tests in Australia in 2024-25, with Kishan playing the first match and Jurel the second.
The squad touring England features plenty of fast-bowling options. Aside from Thakur, it includes Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. The spin-bowling options, meanwhile, are left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey, and offspinner Tanush Kotian.
The England A series, meanwhile, provides a chance for Nair, 33, to return to the national side. The last of his six Tests came against Australia back in 2017, but he has been on a blazing run of form in domestic cricket. With 863 runs in nine games, Nair was the second-highest run-getter for Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in 2024-25. He also represented Northamptonshire in county cricket in 2023 and 2024, scoring 736 runs in ten games at an average of 56.61. That included four half-centuries and two centuries, including 202* against Glamorgan.
The first first-class game against England A begins on May 30 in Canterbury, with the second starting on June 6 in Northampton.
After playing England A, the India A side will also face the senior India side in a four-day fixture from June 13.
India A squad
Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-capt & wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande and Harsh Dubey.