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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced the India A squad for the upcoming two four-day matches against South Africa A, which is scheduled to start from October 30. India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant who got injured during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in England, will lead the side against the Proteas. Pant was Shubman Gill's deputy in his last cricketing assignment, where he got a toe injury.
BCCI have appointed Sai Sudharsan as Rishabh Pant's deputy for the upcoming red-ball series in the squad featuring Rajat Patidar, who led West Zone to the Duleep Trophy title. KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Abhimanyu Easwaran will join the squad for the second four-day game.
As a result, Ayush Mhatre, Patidar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Narayan Jagadeesan and Saransh Jain will not feature the second game starting on November 6, just over a week ahead of the opening Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
However, here are some of the notable omissions from the India A squad against South Africa A despite good performances.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz was one of the notable omissions from the India A squad. The Mumbai batter is yet to look for a chance after getting dropped from the Test squad. Sarfaraz was part of India's Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 squad, but he was benched for the whole series before getting dropped from the scheme of things. Sarfaraz's last outing came in the Ranji Trophy 2025, where he contributed with scores of 42 and 32 in Mumbai's 35-run win over Jammu & Kashmir.
Karun Nair
The veteran Indian batter was dropped from India's Test squad after he failed to perform in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in England. Karun, who made his Test comeback against England, had a mixed performance in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, scoring 205 runs in four Test matches at an average of 25.62. His last cricketing outing came in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash between Karnataka and Saurashtra, where he scored 73 and 8 runs and the clash was ended in a draw.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan's last Test outing came in 2023 against the West Indies. The wicketkeeper batter is currently performing brilliantly in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Ishan's last cricketing outing came in the Jharkhand vs Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy clash, where he scored 173 runs and was awarded Player of the Match as Jharkhand won that clash by an innings and 114 runs.
Mohammad Shami
India veteran speedster Mohammed Shami was unable to seal his spot in the India A squad against South Africa A. The 35-year-old speedster had a year-long battle with injuries, and even after his return, he was left out of both the series in England and the home Tests against West Indies. Shami made his cricketing comeback in Ranji Trophy for Bengal where he started the Ranji Trophy season with a seven-wicket haul against Uttarakhand. Ahead of the match, Shami also opened up about his injury. “It’s not my job to give an update on my fitness,” he told the media. “My job is to go to the NCA (Centre of Excellence), prepare and play matches. I’m available to play for Bengal, which proves I’m fit.”
Rinku Singh
This cricketer from Uttar Pradesh is rarely considered for selection in the Indian Test team. However, he has an impressive record in first-class cricket. Rinku Singh was selected for the India A squad for the South Africa tour in late 2023. He joined the Indian Test team on that tour. However, he has not been able to join the India A squad since then. Rinku has scored runs in first-class cricket at an average of 57.39.
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