The BCCI on Saturday announced a 15-member India A squad for a multi-day matches against Australia A starting September 16 in Lucknow. Shreyas Iyer will captain the team with wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel as his deputy. The squad features players who were part of India’s recent Test series in England, including Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna. KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will join the team for the second multi-day match on September 23, replacing two players after the first game.

The series provides opportunities for players on the fringes of the Test squad. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Tanush Kotian and N. Jagadeesan have yet to make their Test debut, while Devdutt Padikkal will look to earn a recall. Padikkal last played a Test for India against Australia in Perth during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year.

The two multi-day matches will follow the Duleep Trophy final, which starts on September 11, and serve as preparation for West Indies’ two-Test tour of India beginning October 2. Three one-day games will follow on September 30, October 3 and October 5 in Kanpur.

India A squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vc, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur.