Bumrah and Jadeja to lead India-A in Lincoln red-ball finale

Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Ravindra Jadeja will headline India-A as they take on New Zealand-A in the third and final four-day game beginning in Lincoln on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The fixture is part of the India camp’s build-up to the forthcoming Test series.

Bumrah last featured in the Asian Games final on October 3 and has been selected only for the red-ball portion of the New Zealand tour; he was left out of the ongoing five-match ODI series as part of workload management. The A programme has been used to give a majority of India’s Test players match practice and time to acclimatise to the windy, cold conditions in the region.

Prasidh Krishna, who has recovered fully from a hamstring injury, has also been retained for the Test challenge and is among the pace options named for the Lincoln game. His most recent appearance came in the ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati on September 30. The appointment aims to provide him with red-ball preparation ahead of the senior side’s Test assignments.

Ravindra Jadeja arrived in New Zealand after two Ranji Trophy appearances in which he claimed seven wickets and scored a hundred for Saurashtra. Having lost his place in the ODI team, the veteran all-rounder will seek to transfer that domestic form into an all-round contribution in the four-day match. His presence adds experience to India-A’s balance.

The contest is the final four-day fixture of the A series, pitting a star-studded India-A against an injury-ravaged New Zealand-A. Select players on both sides will use the match for extended red-ball minutes ahead of senior selection decisions and the Test series timetable.

The immediate next senior fixture after this game is the first Test in Wellington, scheduled to begin from November 19; the Lincoln game offers those involved a final opportunity for red-ball run-scoring and bowling practice before that Test.