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India’s left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, has been released from the T20I squad for the remaining two matches against Australia by the team management.
The decision was made as the team management shifted focus to red-ball preparations ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa.
Kuldeep will now join the India A squad for the second unofficial Test against South Africa A, scheduled to begin on November 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The move is part of India’s build-up for their two-Test series against the reigning World Test Championship holders, South Africa.
The first Test will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14, followed by the second in Guwahati starting November 22.
Kuldeep Yadav, who did not feature in India’s series-levelling T20I win in Hobart, last played a Test in October 2024 against New Zealand.
His opportunities in the longest format have been limited, though he impressed earlier this year with 12 wickets, including a five-for, during the two-Test series against the West Indies.
The spinner’s inclusion in the India A setup underlines the selectors’ intent to fine-tune red-ball specialists ahead of the marquee South Africa series.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, continuing his comeback from a foot injury sustained in England, will once again lead India A. Pant struck a composed 90 in the second innings of the first four-day match, which India won by three wickets.
Other senior names in the India A squad include KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal, with Sai Sudharsan serving as vice-captain.
India A Squad for 2nd Four-Day Match: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vc), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Kuldeep Yadav.
India Squad for 4th & 5th T20Is vs Australia: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana.
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