On Saturday, 6th September, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member India A squad for the series, with the star middle-order batter entrusted with the leadership role.
India A will host Australia A for two unofficial Tests and three one-day matches, starting Tuesday, 16th September. Iyer, who was left out of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad and not even included among the traveling reserves, will now have the chance to lead the side.
Test Series: Earlier this year, he also missed selection for India’s five-match away Test tour of England, despite consistent performances across formats over the past year. Iyer did, however, captain Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL 2025 final, where they narrowly lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The selection committee has now placed their trust in him, handing him the captaincy for the upcoming unofficial Test series.
Shreyas Iyer to Lead India A in Unofficial Test Series Against Australia A
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of India A for the upcoming two-match unofficial Test series against Australia A. This comes after the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee faced criticism for leaving Iyer out of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, despite his scintillating form and status as India’s leading run-scorer in the ICC Champions 2025 campaign. The series offers Iyer a perfect platform to stake his claim for a spot in India’s Test squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies.
The unofficial four-day Tests will begin on September 16, with the second match starting on September 23, both at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Dhruv Jurel will serve as vice-captain and wicketkeeper alongside Iyer. Key batters in the squad include Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, N. Jagadeesan, and Devdutt Padikkal.
Notably, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar, both in fine form in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025-26, have been left out. The BCCI also announced that star batter KL Rahul and pacer Mohammed Siraj will join the squad ahead of the second Test, though it has not specified which two players they will replace.
India A Squad – Two-Match Unofficial Test Series vs Australia A
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, N. Jagadeesan (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur