The BCCI confirmed on Wednesday that Priyank Panchal will captain the India A team for the forthcoming three four-day matches against New Zealand A, which will take place in Bangalore and Hubli next month.
Abhimanyu Easwaran also earns a spot and will carry the most of the batting load in the long-form matches, in addition to Panchal, who has been a staple of India A for a considerable amount of time. Both Panchal and Easwaran have an exceptional first-class cricket track record and exposure to the India Test team.
The top two rungetters from the 2021–22 Ranji season, Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar, have also been included in the squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad, a backup opener who has been touring with India's white-ball sides, is also a member of the team.
Tilak Varma, who has only participated in four first-class games, was also chosen for the team. Verma performed admirably for India during the most recent Under-19 World Cup and was in excellent form during his first IPL season with the Mumbai Indians this year. The team also includes KS Bharat, who is frequently referred to as Rishabh Pant's backup in Test cricket.
Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna have been picked among a group of international players in the bowling department. Other than them, Yash Dayal and Mukesh Kumar have also been admitted, while Umran Malik and Arzan Nagwaswalla have retained their positions.
Kuldeep has been in and out of the India team, and this series will provide him another chance to make a good recovery from his injury-related setbacks.
Beginning on September 1, the first four-day match will be played. The sides will also face off against one another in three one-day matches in Chennai between September 22 and 27 once the red-ball series is over. Later, teams will be revealed for the white-ball matches to be played in Chennai.
India A squad: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraaz Khan, Tilak Varma, KS Bharat (wk), Upendra Yadav (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Arzan Nagwaswalla