Shreyas Iyer pulls out of India A squad for second unofficial Test vs Australia A; Dhruv Jurel named captain

In an interesting turn of events, Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has pulled out of the second unofficial Test for India A against Australia A at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, which started on Tuesday, September 23.

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While speaking to The Times of India, a source has stated that the star batter has taken a break and returned to Mumbai after informing the selection committee about his decision. Nevertheless, the source added that Iyer would be in fray for a middle-order spot for the upcoming West Indies series.

"Yes, Shreyas is taking a break and has returned to Mumbai. He has informed the selectors that he won't be able to play in the second four-day match against Australia A. However, he remains in fray for a spot in the middle-order when the selectors meet to pick the squad for the West Indies series," a source told TOI.

Iyer, who captained India A side in the first unofficial Test against Australia A, could score only eight runs off 13 balls with one four, batting at No.5. On the other hand, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel had daddy centuries in the middle-order.

In Shreyas Iyer’s absence, the selection committee has opted for Jurel as the captain of the side for the second unofficial Test. Interestingly, no replacement has been named for Iyer. However, with the inclusion of KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj, the India A squad looks bolstered for the second clash.

With selectors set to meet for the Indian Test squad selection for the upcoming West Indies series, it would be interesting to see if Iyer gets a chance in the squad.

India A playing XI vs Australia A for second unofficial Test: N Jagadeesan, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel (c & wk), Ayush Badoni, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar.

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Benched players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Tanush Kotian, Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Thakur.

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