Ruturaj, Padikkal named India A captains for Australia A series

India A will face Australia A in a five-match home series in Puducherry from September 22, with Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad named captains. Hardik Pandya has been included in the one-day squad, subject to fitness clearance

New Delhi: Left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal and senior opener Ruturaj Gaikwad have been named captains of the India A multi-day and one-day squads, respectively, for the upcoming home series against Australia A, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been out of action since IPL 2026 due to injuries to his quad and leg, has been included in the 50-over squad, subject to fitness.

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India A will play two four-day matches, followed by a three-match one-day series. All five fixtures will be hosted in Puducherry, beginning on September 22.

Padikkal, who was the player of the series in India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, amassing 328 runs at No. 3, will lead a 15-member multi-day side featuring prominent domestic performers. Left-handed top-order batter Sai Sudharsan, who missed the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a right-toe injury, has been named his vice-captain.

The squad includes top-order options Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod and Shaik Rasheed, alongside wicketkeeping options Kumar Kushagra, who hit a century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, and N Jagadeesan.

The spin department for the red-ball leg will be led by Mumbai all-rounders Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian, while the fast-bowling unit features Anshul Kamboj, Tushar Deshpande, Praful Hinge, Nachiket Bhute and Vijaykumar Vyshak, whose inclusion remains subject to fitness clearance.

For the limited-overs series, Gaikwad takes over as captain, with Padikkal serving as his deputy. The 50-over squad boasts significant international experience, highlighted by the inclusion of Pandya, provided he passes the fitness assessment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

The one-day batting unit features explosive batter Priyansh Arya, two-time IPL-winning captain and India batter Rajat Patidar, and versatile Punjab batter Naman Dhir, who has impressed in the ongoing Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.

Prabhsimran Singh joins Kushagra as a wicketkeeping option for the one-day series, while all-round support will be provided by Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni and Arshad Khan. The pace-bowling attack for the one-day games features Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur, who made his T20I debut on the tour of Zimbabwe in July.

The series gets underway with the first red-ball game in Puducherry from September 22 to 25, followed by the second match from September 29 to October 2. The action then shifts to the white-ball format, with the three one-day matches scheduled for October 6, 9 and 11.

India A multi-day squad: Devdutt Padikkal (captain), Sai Sudharsan (vice-captain), Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, N Jagadeesan (wk), Nachiket Bhute and Vijaykumar Vyshak (subject to fitness).

India A one-day squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Devdutt Padikkal (vice-captain), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur.