BCCI announced the India A squad that will lock horns with Australia A in two four-day games, starting September 16. While India and Australia are slated to play only a white-ball series across formats, the matches will give an opportunity for India to warm-up ahead of the home Test season. Notably, India are slated to play two Tests against West Indies in October followed by a couple more red-ball matches against South Africa in November.
While the India A Squad gives a fair amount of idea about the players who will feature in the main squad, let’s take a look at the prominent absentees who failed to make the cut.
India middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who hasn’t been in the fray since the New Zealand home Test series last year, would have hoped to make the cut and return to the scheme of things. However, a quadriceps injury in the Buchi Babu tournament forced him to miss the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025 and subsequently missed out on a possible spot in the India A squad.
The 21-year-old Vidarbha youngster has been on the rise since his incredible first-class debut last season. He was a critical cog in Vidarbha winning their third Ranji Trophy title, amassing a staggering 783 runs at an average of 52.20 including two centuries and six fifties. He also hit a crucial 153 in the final against Kerala. Now, he has also become the first-ever centurion from Vidarbha in Duleep Trophy history. Despite such heroics and stunning form, Malewar failed to secure a spot in the recently announced India A side.
The J&K pacer recently impressed in the Duleep Trophy 2025 semis where he took a five-wicket haul on a batting track and won the player of the match for his heroics. Prior to that in Ranji Trophy 2024-25, he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 44 scalps at an impressive average of 13.93. His recent heroics would have made one believe that a call-up to the India A side is almost inevitable but his absence will be a big miss.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was a surprising exclusion from the India A squad since he has been part of the last two tours against England Lions and Australia A earlier this year. Gaikwad was even the captain of the side that travelled Down Under before the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
While he has been unfortunate to not earn his Test debut yet, his recent omission once again raised eyebrows. This is because he has looked in good touch after returning from injury that he picked up during IPL 2025. He scored a century during the Buchi Babu tournament and then made a whopping 184 off 206 balls in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025 semis. In the previous Ranji Trophy too, Gaikwad has looked in good touch with 330 runs from 5 innings at an average of 66, including one century and two half-centuries.
20-year-old Musheer Khan is another promising talent missing from the India A side. After impressing in the domestic circuit, he was expected to make the cut in the India A side during the Border Gavaskar Trophy last year but an unfortunate car accident put him on the sidelines. He made his red-ball return for the MCA Colts on their UK tour in July this year and was in sublime touch, hitting multiple tons. The youngster’s most notable performance came against Notts’ 2nd XI, where he scored a memorable century and scalped six wickets. However, it seems Musheer will need to wait more and re-earn the trust of the selectors to find his way in.
The Assam all-rounder and captain has been a big name in domestic cricket over the years. While he has managed to break into the T20I setup, Parag is yet to earn his place in the Test fray. Furthermore, he played only one game in the Ranji Tropy last season owing to injury which might have hindered his selection in the recent announcement.
Rajat Patidar made his debut when England visited India in early 2024 and played three games but since then has been out of reckoning. However, his recent form in the Duleep Trophy 2025 raised his chances. He is currently is the second-highest run scorer in the tournament and has slammed a century and two fifties in his three innings so far. In Ranji Trophy 2024-25 too, he impressed with 529 runs in 11 innings at an average of 48.09. Given his current touch in the longest format, Patidar was touted for a return but his absence also remains a mystery.
Anshul Kamboj made his debut during the England tour earlier this year after being added as a cover for injured Arshdeep Singh. Kamboj got the call-up after impressing in the tour games but could not replicate it, managing just one game. He picked up a solitary wicket in the 18 overs he bowled while leaking 89 runs. He also struggled with his length and rhythm and for now it seems that Kamboj is not in consideration in red-ball cricket.
Dynamic right-hander Karun Nair who made a return to the India Test side during the England tour after eight long years on the merit of a stellar domestic campaign last season also wasn’t named in the India A side. However, it can be assumed that his absence is due to a finger injury he picked up during the fifth England Test.
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