Discarded Batter Named Captain of India A Squad After Duleep Trophy 2025 Heroics for Australia ODI Series

The India A side are slated to face Australia A for a three-match ODI series from September 30 ahead of the Australia tour in October. The white-ball leg will take place after the teams lock horns for two unofficial Tests from September 16 onwards. While the squad for the red-ball games were already announced, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the same for the ODIs earlier today (September 14).

Notably, out-of-favour India batter and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar have been named as leader for the first match. The development comes after he enjoyed a stellar Duleep Trophy 2025 campaign where he slammed two centuries and two fifties in the four innings he batted. Patidar had made his ODI debut for India back in 2023 against South Africa but had been out of contention in the format since.

In the next couple of games however, Mumbai Indians and India T20I regular Tilak Varma has been bestowed with the captaincy duties with Patidar acting as deputy.

ALSO READ:

• India vs Pak Live, Asia Cup 2025: Key Updates, Playing XI, and Takeaways from Dubai
• Shreyas Iyer To Lead India A For Multi-Day Matches Against Australia A, Rajat Patidar Left Out Of 15-Member Squad
• Prominent Absentees in India A Squad for Australia Series

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma absent

India’s batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were two notable exclusions from the recently announced India A squad. The duo, who have already retired from Tests and T20Is and are only active in ODIs, were expected to feature in the three India A games before the Australia series since they haven’t played for India after the Champions Trophy 2025 win earlier this year. However, their India comeback has now been delayed.

Furthermore, given their absence from the India A side and uncertainty surrounding their future, it remains to be seen if the senior duo gets directly picked for the Australia tour.

India A squad for Australia ODI series

India A squad for the 1st ODI: Rajat Patidar (Captain), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh.

India A squad for 2nd and 3rd ODIs: Tilak Varma (Captain), Rajat Patidar (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.