Rohit approved, Nair, Patidar to get a chance, there is no call in Iyer

India cricket team selectors have reportedly shortlisted 35 players who could be a part of the India A tour to England ahead of the five-match Test series. The tour will commence one week after the conclusion of the IPL 2025. The red-ball series against England will mark the start of India’s World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.

Rohit confirmed for England tour

As per Times of India, Rohit is most likely to travel with the India A team. The report states that the board is of the opinion that the team needs a strong captain for what is going to be a challenging tour in England. There were a lot of speculations around the board mulling a leadership change following the miserable Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. However, by winning the Champions Trophy, Rohit earned the backing of the BCCI to continue as Test captain.

“Rohit is most likely to travel as the board feels that one needs a strong captain through the series, which is likely to be as tough as the Australia tour,” a BCCI source said.

Sarfaraz out, Patidar & Nair in fray

The report further states that the selectors have very little belief in Sarfaraz Khan. Instead, they are willing to give Rajat Patidar and Karun Nair a chance in the India A matches. One of them are expected to grab a spot in the middle-order.

“About the middle-order, the team management has shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan’s ability. Nair and Patidar are seasoned red-ball players and are in fine form. It is likely at least one of them will be in India A team,” the source added.

No call on Shreyas yet

Further, the report states that the board is yet to take a call on Shreyas Iyer’s return to the Test team. The batter’s last Test came in February 2024 against England following which he was snubbed from the BCCI Central contracts list. Thereafter, he was dropped from the Test team.

However, Iyer took part in all domestic tournaments during his absence from Team India.

“As for Iyer, he was dropped last year based on his poor returns in Test cricket. A final call is yet to be taken,” the source said.