No Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma! BCCI announces India A squad for Australia A series; two captains named

NEW DELHI: The BCCI on Sunday announced two separate India A squads for the upcoming three-match one-day series against the touring Australia A side, which are scheduled to be played in Kanpur later this month. The series will take place at the Green Park Stadium on September 30, October 3 and October 5, with all games being day-night fixtures, starting at 1:30 PM IST.The selectors have chosen two different leaders for the different squads for the series. RCB captain Rajat Patidar will lead the side in the opening match, while Tilak Varma, who is currently playing in the Asia Cup, will take over the captaincy for the second and third games, with Patidar serving as his vice-captain.Also See: IND vs PAK Live Score, Asia Cup 2025The squads include a host of young performers from the domestic circuit and IPL, such as Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and quick Harshit Rana will join the squad for the last two matches.Interestingly, the names of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were missing from the list, though chatter about their participation had surfaced earlier. As reported earlier by TimesofIndia.com, while both players are fit and available, the selectors have decided against forcing them into India A matches. Their involvement was only to be considered if they required game time before India’s ODI series in Australia.“See it’s highly unlikely that they will play the three India A games. Only if they need some game time, you could see them play one, or even two, games before the Australia ODIs. But nothing has been finalised yet,” a senior BCCI official had told TimesofIndia.com.Both players recently cleared routine fitness tests, Kohli in London and Rohit at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, confirming their readiness for India’s upcoming assignments. Rohit is expected to lead the side in Australia, where India will play three ODIs against the hosts.For now, though, the focus is firmly on India A’s young brigade, who will aim to make a mark against a strong Australian A outfit.India A squad for the 1st one-day match: 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 one-day: 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.