Explained: Why Ruturaj Gaikwad And Ishan Are Not Playing IND-A vs ENG Lions 1st Test

Gaikwad and Kishan aren't playing IND-A's 1st Test [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL, @31Era_/X]

In a significant development, England Lions won the toss and opted to bowl first in their first unofficial Test match against India-A at St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, Kent. India-A have assembled a formidable team; however, the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan raised a million eyebrows. 

Why Have India-A Dropped Gaikwad And Ishan Kishan?

India-A have picked Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Karun Nair as their top-order batters. Thus, CSK mainstay Ruturaj Gaikwad misses out, despite performing impressively in the domestic circuit. 

It's worth mentioning that Easwaran was chosen as the India-A captain, while Jaiswal and Karun Nair were obvious choices, being a part of the senior squad that will take on England in five Tests. 

These unofficial matches are meant to help the players picked for the Test series fine-tune their red-ball game. In such a scenario, those who are expected to play the England series will certainly get the nod ahead of the players who aren't a part of the senior men's squad. 

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan also misses out, with the Indian A-side preferring Dhruv Jurel over him for this match. Jurel is in contention for a spot in the Indian playing XI following his impressive returns in domestic as well as international red-ball matches. 

India-A Playing XI For 1st Unofficial Test vs England Lions

Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Anshul Kamboj, Harshit Rana, Mukesh Kumar

---

ALSO READ

Chance To Shine: India A Stars Who Have A Point To Prove In Unofficial Tests vs England Lions

---