India’s Test specialists have a New Zealand tour to prepare for, and the selectors have now named the team that will help them do it. The BCCI has announced a 15-member India A squad for the New Zealand tour, led by Dhruv Jurel and featuring the first-choice Test opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, along with Rishabh Pant, whose place is subject to fitness. The squad will play three multi-day games against New Zealand A before the senior team’s two-Test series in November.
The India A squad in full
According to Cricinfo, the squad comprises Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper, subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (captain and wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod and Mukesh Kumar.
The group leaves for New Zealand on October 16. It is a squad that blends established Test names with players who have forced their way in through domestic form, and it is designed to give the likely members of the senior side time to adjust to local conditions.
Tour schedule and dates
The shadow tour consists of three red-ball games. Cricinfo reports that the first begins on October 26 in Lincoln, while Cricbuzz lists the opening game as October 27, so the exact start date should be confirmed closer to the tour. The second game is at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, and the tour wraps up in Lincoln on November 10.
The senior team’s two Tests, part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, will be played between November 19 and December 1 in Wellington and Christchurch. The first Test starts on November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. This will be India’s first Test tour of New Zealand since February-March 2020. Before those Tests, India will also play five T20Is in New Zealand, beginning on October 22 at Hagley Oval.
The openers and the middle order
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are India’s first-choice opening pair in Tests, and the India A series gives them a chance to build towards the two-match series. Cricinfo notes that Rahul is also set to feature in Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy opener against Andhra, so he will have competitive red-ball cricket before departing.
Devdutt Padikkal, described as India’s incumbent Test number three, has been named in the squad alongside Sai Sudharsan, who returned to action after a toe injury during the ongoing India A series against Australia A in Puducherry. Yash Rathod is likely to be the back-up batter. He impressed for India A in the second unofficial Test against Australia A recently, making a solid 80 to avert defeat on the final day on a turning track.
The Pant question
Rishabh Pant’s selection comes with a caveat. Pant led Rest of India to victory over Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup in Srinagar last week, and his inclusion in the India A squad is subject to fitness clearance. It is unclear what he is suffering from, though Cricinfo mentions unconfirmed reports that he has been down with the flu, picked up during the Irani Cup match. The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association has confirmed that Pant made himself unavailable for the Ranji Trophy opener from October 11.
New faces and Irani Cup heroes
Several of the selections reflect strong showings in the Irani Cup, where Rest of India beat Jammu and Kashmir by 167 runs.
Ravichandran Smaran received a maiden India A call-up after scoring 68 and 135 in that match. He has also been named Karnataka captain for the Ranji Trophy season opener in Padikkal’s absence, as Padikkal is part of India A’s 50-over squad playing against Australia A.
Two seamers who starred in the same game are also in the touring party. Akash Deep returned to action after a seven-month injury layoff and took six wickets in the match. Mukesh Kumar, who played the most recent of his three Tests in 2024, took a six-for in the second innings to seal victory. The other fast bowlers are Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, who is also fresh off a five-wicket haul in the Irani Cup, and Auqib Nabi, who was the highest wicket-taker in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season with 60 wickets. Nabi made his ODI debut in last week’s second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati and is also set to feature in the Ranji opener.
The spin department
Washington Sundar and Manav Suthar are the two frontline spinners. Washington was recently withdrawn from the T20I squad against West Indies to gain match time in the longer format. Suthar was India’s standout bowler during their Test series win in Sri Lanka and is coming off a county stint for Warwickshire, where he took 14 wickets in four games.
Why India A tours matter
Shadow tours of this kind serve several purposes. They allow batters and bowlers to acclimatise to conditions that differ significantly from home, from the surface to the behaviour of the ball. They also give selectors an opportunity to assess depth. If an injury strikes in the Test squad, there will be players in New Zealand who have already adjusted.
For players such as Smaran, Nabi and Choudhary, the tour offers a chance to make a case for higher honours. For established names like Rahul and Jaiswal, it offers time in the middle before the first Test begins at the Basin Reserve. The sequence of events, with India A playing in late October and early November, then the senior Tests starting on November 19, leaves a gap of about nine days between the final India A game on November 10 and the first Test on November 19.
The Bumrah factor
Jasprit Bumrah has not been picked for the New Zealand T20Is, presumably to manage his workload ahead of the Test series, according to Cricbuzz. That makes the performances of the pace bowlers on the India A tour especially interesting. Those bowling in New Zealand conditions in late October and early November will provide the selectors with information about who is best placed to support the senior attack.
Analysis: balance and questions
The squad is strong on the batting side, with two openers, a number three, and wicketkeepers in Jurel and Pant. The bowling combines seamers returning from layoffs with those who have been in form domestically. Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar both impressed in the Irani Cup, and the tour gives them a chance to extend that form in tougher conditions.
Some questions remain. Pant’s fitness is the obvious one. There is also the matter of workload: several players, including Rahul and Washington, are expected to feature in the first round of the Ranji Trophy before travelling. The selectors will be hoping that those games provide rhythm without adding injuries.
Current form of India A
One data point to keep in mind is that India A’s white-ball side has had a difficult start against Australia A. In the first unofficial ODI in Puducherry, Australia A scored 274 and India A were bowled out for 149 in 31.4 overs, losing by 125 runs. That is a different squad and a different format, but it is a reminder that India A tours are not guaranteed to produce results, and that the purpose is development rather than scoreboard success.
What to watch next
The next few weeks are busy. The Ranji Trophy begins on October 11. India and West Indies continue their T20I series, with the second match in Ranchi on October 9. The India A squad departs on October 16, and the first T20I against New Zealand takes place on October 22. After that, the focus turns to the red-ball matches and the Tests.
Key facts at a glance
Squad size: 15. Captain: Dhruv Jurel. Departure: October 16. Matches: three multi-day games against New Zealand A, at Lincoln, Christchurch and Lincoln, ending November 10. Senior Tests: Wellington from November 19, and Christchurch, with the series running to December 1. Uncertain: Rishabh Pant, subject to fitness.
Conclusion
The India A squad for New Zealand blends proven Test names with players who have earned opportunities through strong domestic performances. For Rahul, Jaiswal and company, it is a chance to adapt before the Tests. For Smaran, Nabi and the Irani Cup bowlers, it is a chance to show what they can do on a bigger stage. With Pant’s fitness the main unknown, the next few weeks will reveal how well prepared India are for their first Test series in New Zealand since 2020.
