India Test team regulars including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel were on Friday named in the India A squad for the two-match series against England Lions beginning in Canterbury on May 30.
Shubman Gill, who is set to be appointed India's Test captain following Rohit Sharma's retirement, and B. Sai Sudharsan will be available for the second four-day game against England Lions starting in Northampton from June 6.
The India A tour precedes the five-match Test series in England. The A side will also play an intra-squad match with the senior team in Beckenham from June 13 to 16. The first Test begins in Leeds on June 20.
In the BCCI statement related to the squad announcement, it was clear that no changes have been made to the original schedule despite pushing back the IPL final to June 3 from May 25.
The squad includes players from the IPL teams which are either out of the playoffs race or are unlikely to make the knockouts.
Karun Nair, a heavy scorer on the domestic circuit, is back into the national set up after eight years. Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who took a record 69 wickets in Ranji Trophy this season, is also part of the touring party.
Ishan Kishan, who has been out of national reckoning for a while, is the second wicket-keeper in the squad.
Pacers Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, who were part of the Test squad in Australia, and batter Sarfaraz Khan have also been picked for the shadow tour of England.
Abhimanyu Easwaran will captain the side. Runs in the A series will give senior side regulars much-needed confidence ahead of the Tests while the other star performers could be rewarded with a national cap in the near future.
Following the retirement of Rohit and Virat Kohli, India find themselves in the middle of a massive transition phase.
Gill, who has not had much success in England, would look to make the most of his time in the second four-day fixture. Sudharsan, his in-form teammate at Gujarat Titans, is expected to be picked in the Test squad.
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