Shreyas Iyer Pulls Out of India A’s Second Unofficial Test vs Australia A

Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer will not play in the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Lucknow. No new player has been officially named to replace him yet. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is expected to lead the team while Iyer is away, according to the Times of India. Iyer, who was not part of India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025, captained India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The right-handed batter scored 8 runs off 13 balls in India A’s only innings and also had a tough time scoring for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

According to the Times of India, Shreyas Iyer has pulled out of India A’s second unofficial Test against Australia A. He returned home before the match, which starts on September 23. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will lead the team in his place. Still, Iyer is expected to play in India’s middle order in the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies. This series will be India’s first home Test in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.

"Yes, Shreyas is taking a break and has returned to Mumbai. He has informed the selectors that he won't be able to play in the second four-day match against Australia A. However, he remains in fray for a spot in the middle-order when the selectors meet to pick the squad for the West Indies series," a source told the English daily.

India A managed to draw their first four-day game against Australia A, led by Nathan McSweeney. Australia A scored a huge 532/6, with centuries from Sam Konstas (109) and Josh Philippe (123), and strong support from Campbell Kellaway (88), Cooper Connolly (70) and Liam Scott (81). Harsh Dubey took three wickets and Gurnoor Brar took two. In reply, India A scored 531/7 in 141.1 overs before declaring, thanks to big centuries from Devdutt Padikkal (150) and Dhruv Jurel (140), and fifties from Narayan Jagadeesan (64) and Sai Sudharsan (73).

KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj Set for India A Return

Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj are likely to play for India A in the second unofficial Test against Australia A. Siraj will take the place of left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who will miss the match. Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, still recovering from a knee injury is also expected to miss this game.

The updated India A squad for the second four-day match includes KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar and Yash Thakur. The Board of Control for Cricket in India will announce the squad for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies, led by Roston Chase, on September 23 or 24.

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by K D Mishra September 22, 2025