IND A vs AUS A 2025: Why is Shreyas Iyer not playing India A vs Australia A second Unofficial Test?

India A (IND A) are taking on Australia A (AUS A) in the second unofficial Test on Tuesday, September 23, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. However, Indian skipper and star batter Shreyas Iyer has ruled himself out of the ongoing game, opting to stay out of contention for a place in the Playing XI.

In the first match, India A found success with the bat as Devdutt Padikkal scored 150 and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel contributed 140. Narayan Jagadeesan and Sai Sudharsan also chipped in with half-centuries. On the bowling front, Harsh Dubey claimed three wickets.

Australia A, too, impressed with the bat, with Sam Konstas scoring 109, Josh Phillippe remaining unbeaten on 123, while Campbell Kellaway, Liam Scott, and Cooper Connolly all registered half-centuries. With the ball, Corey Rocchiccioli picked up three wickets.

Both teams will be aiming to deliver their best and secure a victory to clinch the series 1-0.

Toss Update

Standing in as the skipper in Iyer's lieu, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is captaining the second game. Jurel won the toss and opted to field first, making five changes to the India A lineup, while Australia A also made a few changes to their side.

Shreyas Iyer out; Rahul, Siraj in

Earlier, it was confirmed that Shreyas Iyer would not feature in the playing XI for India A as he returned to Mumbai due to personal reasons. In his absence, Indian opener KL Rahul and speedster Mohammed Siraj were included in the XI as part of their preparation for the upcoming India vs West Indies Test series. Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Manav Suthar also earned places in the line-up. Notably, opening batter Abhimanyu Easwaran is also not the part of the Playing XI for this game, with reasons being unknown. However, with senior opener Rahul coming, it is assumed that Easwaran had to make way for the Karnataka-born.

Meanwhile, Australia A made changes of their own, bringing in Jack Edwards, Will Sutherland, and Henry Thornton to their XI.

India A vs Australia A, 2nd Unofficial Test, Playing XI

India A

N Jagadeesan, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar

Australia A

Sam Konstas, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney(c), Oliver Peake, Cooper Connolly, Josh Philippe(w), Jack Edwards, Will Sutherland, Corey Rocchiccioli, Todd Murphy, Henry Thornton