Rahul, Jaiswal, Pant among 11 Test players picked for India A tour of New Zealand

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant headline a strong 15-member India A squad for the three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A, with as many as 11 players in the group having Test experience.India A squad for New Zealand A: KL Rahul, Yashasv Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant picked; Dhruv Jurel named captain (Courtesy: AP)New Delhi,Oct 6, 2026 22:05 ISTKL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant headline a strong 15-member India A squad for the three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A, starting October 24.As many as 11 players with Test experience have been picked for the tour, with senior team vice-captain Rahul, his opening partner Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal among the notable names. Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Sai Sudharsan and Manav Suthar, who are all in the mix for India's senior side, have also been included.The BCCI, however, has not specified how many of the three matches Rahul, Jaiswal and Washington will play. All three are also part of India's ODI plans for the New Zealand series, creating a scheduling complication for the India A tour.The first unofficial Test will be played in Lincoln from October 24 to 28, followed by the second in Christchurch from October 31 to November 3. The third match will again be played in Lincoln from November 7 to 10. India's three-match ODI series against New Zealand begins on November 4, with the second and third games scheduled for November 7 and 10. That makes it difficult for Rahul, Jaiswal and Washington to feature in all three India A matches while also being available for the senior ODI side.Pant's selection is subject to fitness. The wicketkeeper-batter is expected to be part of India's plans for the two Tests against New Zealand in the World Test Championship, while Jurel, who has been named captain of the India A side, remains his understudy. Sudharsan, too, is expected to be in contention for the senior Test squad, while Suthar is among the spin options.The squad also features three other players who have represented India in Test cricket: pacers Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar.Akash Deep is expected to be part of India's Test squad, and the A series will give him valuable match practice ahead of the senior team's upcoming assignments. Mukesh Kumar, meanwhile, returns to the national reckoning after an impressive spell in the Irani Cup final.Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is also part of the squad. With his inclusion, the number of players in the group with international caps rises to 12.The three uncapped players are prolific domestic batter Smaran Ravichandran, Vidarbha batter Yash Rathod and left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary.INDIA A SQUAD: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant* (WK), Dhruv Jurel (C) (WK), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.- Ends