Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS) Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the India A squad for three 50-over games against Australia A, while Rajat Patidar will captain the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup, as the senior men’s selection committee announced the respective squads on Thursday.

India A will play their matches in Kanpur starting from September 30, while the Irani Cup will be played against Vidarbha, the champions of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, in Nagpur from October 1.

Iyer was the India A captain in the first unofficial four-day Test against Australia A, but withdrew from the second, requesting a six-month break from red-ball cricket from the BCCI due to concerns about his back, and the board has now approved his request.

“Shreyas Iyer has informed the BCCI of his decision to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket. Having undergone back surgery in the UK and managed his recovery well, he has recently experienced recurring back spasms and stiffness while playing the longer format.

“He wishes to utilise this period to build endurance, body resilience and work on his fitness. In view of his decision, he was not considered for selection for the Irani Cup,” the BCCI said in a statement on Thursday.

Iyer experienced back problems in December 2022, and the injury reoccurred during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home in March 2023. Following this, he underwent surgery in April and missed the IPL that year. He was also dropped midway through India’s home series against England in February 2024.

Earlier this year, Iyer was India’s highest run-getter (243 in five innings) and the second-highest run-getter overall in the run to the Champions Trophy title. Later, he led Punjab Kings to the final of IPL 2025 but was ignored by the selectors for the Men’s T20 Asia Cup.

Notably, the pace duo of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, who are currently in the UAE for the Asia Cup, will join the India A side for the second and third one-day matches, scheduled for October 3 and 5, respectively.

India A squad for 1st one-day match: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh

India A squad for 2nd and 3rd one-day matches: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Verma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Porel (WK), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh

Rest of India squad (Irani Cup): Rajat Patidar (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Aryan Juyal (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Yash Dhull, Shaikh Rasheed, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Saransh Jain

–IANS

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