Boxing Day Test centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy will make his comeback from injury against Australia A in Lucknow later this month.

Reddy, who cracked his maiden Test ton at the MCG during last summer’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, has been named in a strong India A squad to take on the Australians in two first-class matches in Lucknow from September 16.

India A four-day squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur. Second match only: KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj

The allrounder played two Tests against England in July before being ruled out of the rest of the series with a knee injury.

White-ball star Shreyas Iyer will lead the hosts in the two four-day ‘A’ matches as he pushes for a Test recall of his own. India’s senior side are searching for a new long-term No.3 following Virat Kohi’s retirement and new skipper Shubman Gill’s move to No.4.

Sublime Reddy sends crowd wild with maiden century

Incumbent first-drop Sai Sudharsan, who returned to the side for last two Tests of India’s 2-2 draw with England after debuting in the series opener, has also been named to face Australia A.

He is fighting to retain his place for India’s two-match home series against West Indies in October after registering one half-century and two ducks in his six innings in England.

Iyer, who has been a regular in the 50-over side, played the last of his 14 Tests in February 2024 and hasn’t played a T20 international since 2023. He batted at No.4 in his most recent Test against England and could be a candidate to return at first-drop.

Left-hander Devdutt Padikkal is another option seeking to add to his two Tests having batted at No.3 against the Aussies in Perth last year, while uncapped batter Abhimanyu Easwaran was part of India’s squad that toured England.

Paceman Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who replaced an injured Rishabh Pant at The Oval after he courageously batted with a broken foot at Old Trafford, also feature in an India A squad boasting eight Test-capped players.

Opener KL Rahul and firebrand quick Mohammed Siraj will be added to the squad for the second match, beginning on September 23, as they warm-up for the series against the Windies. The experienced first-choice Test pair are not part of India’s Asia Cup squad for the T20 tournament beginning on Tuesday.

Siraj and Krishna are joined by seamers Yash Thakur, Gurnoor Brar and Khaleel Ahmed, the latter a left-armer with 29 white-ball international caps under his belt. Left-armers Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey, and off-spinner Tanush Kotian make up the spin attack.

Four Test-capped players feature in the Australia A squad, headlined by teenager opener Sam Konstas as he fights to keep his spot for the Ashes following a tough return to the national side in the Caribbean.

Cooper Connolly, Nathan McSweeney and Todd Murphy have also been picked with an eye towards preparing players for Australia’s next Indian Test tour in early 2027.

Indian selectors are yet to announce their squad for the three one-day matches that follow against Australia A in Kanpur.

Australia A tour of India

India A four-day squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur. Second match only: KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj

Australia A four-day squad: Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott

September 16-19: First four-day match, Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, 3pm AEST

September 23-26: Second four-day match, Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, 3pm AEST

Australia A one-day squad: Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Callum Vidler

September 30: First one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 3pm AEST

October 3: Second one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 3pm AEST

October 5: Third one-day match, Green Park, Kanpur, 4pm AEDT