New Delhi: In a rare and exciting scheduling alignment for Indian cricket, two national sides will be simultaneously touring New Zealand in October and November this year. While the senior men’s team will be engaged in an extensive white-ball series featuring T20Is and ODIs, the India A squad will concurrently play a three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A.
The unofficial red-ball series, scheduled to run between October 24 and November 10, is designed to serve as a crucial preparatory platform ahead of the highly anticipated two-match Test series between the senior teams, which commences on November 19.
According to the schedule, the India A fixtures will be standard four-day matches. The tour will open with the first unofficial Test at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln from October 24 to 27. The teams will then travel to the Hagley Oval in Christchurch for the second match, scheduled from October 31 to November 3. The concluding four-day fixture will return to Lincoln, taking place from November 7 to November 10.
This parallel tour is being viewed as a strategic initiative by the selectors to help Test-bound players acclimatise to the traditionally challenging New Zealand conditions. Because several red-ball specialists will not be participating in the concurrent T20I and ODI legs of the senior tour, they are expected to be temporarily drafted into the India A squad.
Prominent names likely to feature in the A-team setup include wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, alongside top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal. Promising domestic performers such as Manav Suthar, pace-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi, and Gurnoor Brar are also expected to get opportunities. These players will likely use the unofficial Tests to gain valuable match practice and adapt to the pace, swing, and bounce of Kiwi pitches before the senior Test series gets underway.
With the Indian team looking to assert dominance and secure vital points in the World Test Championship standings, the India A tour offers the perfect dress rehearsal. This dual-tour arrangement highlights the immense depth of India’s cricketing talent pool, ready to take on simultaneous international assignments.