India A has announced their squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against South Africa A. Notably, star cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not be part of the team for this series. The matches are set to take place from November 13 to 19 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The decision to exclude Kohli and Sharma was made by the senior selection committee as part of India’s preparations for the ODI series against South Africa later in November.
Although there were speculations about Kohli and Sharma joining India A to gain match practice, it has been confirmed that they will not be participating. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not provided any details on whether the players were consulted about this decision. Both players recently made their return to international cricket in the ODI series against Australia, with Rohit Sharma performing exceptionally well and Kohli showing signs of regaining his form.
Following their retirement from Test and T20I formats, there has been much discussion about their future and readiness to play. Experts, including Sunil Gavaskar, have suggested that both players should consider participating in domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy to stay in top form.
Captain Shubman Gill clarified during the Australia series that there have been no discussions with Kohli or Sharma regarding their availability for domestic or India A matches. The focus currently remains on the upcoming series against South Africa, with talks planned for the period between the South Africa and New Zealand matches.
After the South Africa series, the attention will shift to the Vijay Hazare Trophy from December 24 to January 18, followed by a three-match ODI series against New Zealand from January 11 to 18. As no ODIs are scheduled between the South Africa and New Zealand series until January 2026, there is a growing anticipation that Kohli and Sharma might consider playing domestic cricket to stay competitive.
In the upcoming one-day series, Tilak Varma will lead the India A side with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the vice-captain. Players like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Riyan Parag are also part of the squad. The fast bowling department will be spearheaded by pacers Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.
The India A squad for the one-day series was announced alongside the squad for the Test series against South Africa, starting on November 14. Prasidh Krishna, who was part of the previous Test series against the West Indies, has been released for the white-ball series with India A. Akash Deep has been included in the Test squad in place of Prasidh, while vice-captain Rishabh Pant makes a return from injury.
The India A squad for the one-day series against South Africa A includes players like Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Prabhsimran Singh.