A Kohli-Rohit replacement audition? Five takeaways from India A's squad for England tour

India are set to tour England this summer for five Tests, in their first engagement since the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Ahead of the Test matches will be a set of two matches between an India A side and England Lions, as well as one intra-squad game between India A and the main Indian team.

Find the full India A squad for the England tour here.

An 18-man squad has been named, along with two others, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, set to join the squad after the IPL, ahead of the second match against the Lions. What have the selections told us about India's plans?

Abhimanyu Easwaran will never get a better opportunity

Rohit Sharma's retirement means an opener's slot in the Test team will have to be filled – and Abhimanyu Easwaran will never have a better chance to make his case. Despite 7,674 first-class runs in 12 years, at an average of 48.9, he remains uncapped at the Test level.

Read more: Can Abhimanyu Easwaran, next-in-line for long, make it to the top level?

Easwaran somewhat blew his chance late last year when Rohit missed the first Test against Australia. Opening for India A against Australia A, he scored 7, 12, 0 and 17 – and KL Rahul opened in Rohit's place. This time around, he has even been named captain of the A team (it was Ruturaj Gaikwad in Australia), perhaps a sign that he is relatively highly valued.

Domestic performers always stand a chance

The India A squad ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy contained Ricky Bhui and Navdeep Saini, both of whom had impressed in the Duleep Trophy just before that tour. For England, the likes of Karun Nair, Harsh Dubey, Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande have made it in.

Nair's 2024-25 domestic season was outstanding across formats, and included 863 runs in nine Ranji games. Dubey took a Ranji Trophy-record 69 wickets last season while Kamboj took 34, along with 16 in the Duleep Trophy. Deshpande missed this season through injury but had taken 15 wickets in five matches the previous season. It appears that under the new coaching staff, there will always be a few spots up for grabs for exceptional domestic performers, outside the usual set-up.

Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh: White-ball specialists?

On the subject of strong domestic performances, neither Shreyas Iyer nor Arshdeep Singh, currently playing starring roles for Punjab Kings in the IPL, were named in the A squad. Iyer played only five Ranji matches this season, but averaged just under 69 and struck at 90 runs per 100 balls. Arshdeep had taken 13 wickets in three Duleep Trophy matches.

There had been reports that Arshdeep would be in the scheme of things for this tour, but it appears unlikely now. Iyer could also potentially make a comeback for India's home Tests but one wonders whether the pair may now be seen as white-ball specialists – Iyer for the ODI format, and Arshdeep for T20Is (he is already India's leading wicket-taker in the format).

Of course, another explanation could be that they have been left out due to a likely schedule clash with the IPL playoffs. But even Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have that issue, and the BCCI has specified that they will join the squad for the second game.

The third seamer spot could be up for grabs

With all their quicks fit, India's first-choice seamers would almost certainly be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. But Shami's physical fitness remains in question, and there is a chance he does not make the squad at all. In that case, the most likely candidate to step in would be Prasidh Krishna, who played in Australia and has had a stellar IPL so far – but this is far from certain.

Also read: Left-arm options and Shami's fitness: What will India's seam attack be for England Tests?

Harshit Rana and Akash Deep also played in Australia, both before Krishna did. A couple of good performances for the A side might help them jump back in front in the pecking order. Khaleel Ahmed gives India a left-arm option to consider, and Shardul Thakur adds some proven batting as well. These three A games could go some way to deciding which one makes the XI if Shami does not make it.

India have not settled on Kohli's replacement at No.4

Just like the third pacer's spot, India's replacement for Virat Kohli at No.4 appears up in the air. It's a position they have not had to think about for over three decades, and this A series could serve as a genuine audition, at least for this tour.

Shubman Gill could move down to No.4, with another batter taking his place at three, potentially Sai Sudharsan. But the latter himself could bat at four, as could Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain of the A team) or even Ruturaj Gaikwad who frequently dropped down the order from his regular opening spot in the domestic season. He also batted at No.3 in the IPL.

India have given themselves plenty of options – and these three games might determine who gets out in front.

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