The red ball is out in New Zealand this morning. At the quiet Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, Dhruv Jurel walked out with his India A side at the start of play today for the first of three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, the opening act of a long and demanding red-ball tour.
It is easy to treat an “A” tour as a sideshow, especially with the senior T20I series running in the same country this weekend. But look at the names on the team sheet and the picture changes quickly. This India A squad has KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan in it. That is not a development exercise; that is a Test-match audition panel.
A tour with a purpose
The three four-day matches are deliberately placed. India A play here in Lincoln from October 24 to 27, move to Hagley Oval in Christchurch for the second game from October 31 to November 3, and return to Lincoln for the third from November 7 to 10. When the senior team arrives for the two-Test series, starting November 19 at Basin Reserve in Wellington, its red-ball players will have already spent a month breathing New Zealand air.
That context matters. The selectors have clearly decided that acclimatisation is not a luxury. Washington Sundar, who was pulled out of the West Indies T20Is to play in the Ranji Trophy earlier this month, has been drafted into this A squad. Everything about this selection says the red-ball future is being mapped out now.
Jurel gets the armband
Dhruv Jurel leading the side, rather than a senior pro like KL Rahul, is the most interesting selection call of the tour. The wicketkeeper-batter has been around the senior Test setup and is clearly being tested for leadership material. He has the gloves and the armband, and a strong personal series here would do his senior ambitions no harm at all.
Around him, the batting reads like a Ranji Trophy dream team. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul bring Test experience, Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan bring heavy domestic runs, and Ravichandran Smaran arrives as last season’s top Ranji scorer, fresh from a fighting hundred in the Irani Cup. The bowling is pace-heavy by design: Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi and left-armer Mukesh Choudhary, with Manav Suthar’s left-arm spin as the slower option.
Pant misses out, Kushagra steps in
The one name conspicuously missing is Rishabh Pant. Named in the original squad, the senior keeper was ruled out of the first two unofficial Tests with a left side strain, continuing a frustrating run of injuries. In his place comes 21-year-old Kumar Kushagra, who earned the call-up after a hundred for India A against Australia A in Puducherry. It is a big step up for the young wicketkeeper, but the BCCI clearly likes what it has seen.
A strong New Zealand A side
The hosts have not picked a second XI either. New Zealand A named a squad featuring 11 international players across the series, led by Rhys Mariu for the opening game. Henry Nicholls, with over 80 Test caps of experience, features in the squad later in the series. The opening game side includes keeper-batter Mitch Hay, Dean Foxcroft, Kristian Clarke and seamer Jarrod McKay. New Zealand A will want to make home conditions count against a visiting batting line-up that, for all its talent, is still adjusting to the swing and seam of a New Zealand October.
When and where to watch
- What: 1st Unofficial Test, New Zealand A vs India A (October 24-27)
- Where: Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln
- Start time: 3:30 AM IST (11:00 AM local) each day
- TV and streaming in India: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV
- In New Zealand: NZC YouTube channel
Four-day cricket at 3:30 in the morning is not for the casual viewer, but for anyone tracking India’s next Test generation, this is the series to follow. Jaiswal against the moving ball, Jurel with the armband, Sundar pushing his red-ball case, and a pace attack trying to win on seamer-friendly pitches. The scorecard from Lincoln over the next four days will be read very carefully by the selectors.
FAQs
When does the India A vs New Zealand A 1st unofficial Test start?
The four-day match began on Saturday, October 24, at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, with play starting at 3:30 AM IST (11:00 AM local time) each day.
Who is captaining India A on the New Zealand tour?
Dhruv Jurel is leading India A in the three-match unofficial Test series, ahead of senior players like KL Rahul who are also in the squad.
Why is Rishabh Pant not playing for India A?
Pant was named in the original squad but was ruled out of the first two unofficial Tests with a left side strain. Kumar Kushagra has been named as his cover.
How can I watch India A vs New Zealand A in India?
The unofficial Tests are telecast on Sony Sports Network channels and streamed live on the Sony LIV app and website in India.
What is the schedule of the India A tour of New Zealand?
Three four-day unofficial Tests: October 24-27 in Lincoln, October 31-November 3 in Christchurch, and November 7-10 in Lincoln, ahead of the senior team’s two-Test series starting November 19.
Follow Informeia for ball-by-ball updates and day-end reports from the India A tour of New Zealand.
