Konstas, Handscomb and Richardson among names in Australia A squad for India A tour

Australia on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) named a 14-member squad for its series against India A in Puducherry later this month, featuring pacer Ben Dwarshuis, Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney.

Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel described the tour as an opportunity to expose players to subcontinental conditions and to prepare them for the challenges of playing in India. A stand out performance in the red ball series will make a strong case for selection in the five Tests in India early next year. "We are excited by these squads and what they might achieve out of the series. Many of these players have played international cricket, whilst for others it’s a continuation of previous opportunities across Australia A and CAXI formats," said CA chairman George Bailey.

Peter Handscomb, Brendan Doggett, Konstas, McSweeney, Jhye Richardson and Todd Murphy have all played Test and international cricket. Mitch Owen, Jack Edwards, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Phillipe, Aaron Hardie, Nikhil Chaudhary and Mahli Beardman have played in ODI or T20 Internationals.

"We consider these tours an important part of performance and developing game styles in sub-continent conditions as part of our continued investment into the Australia A program. "It’s a strong representation of players who will be in contention to be part of the group we take to India next year or see as having potential for further opportunities into the future," he added.

Australia A – four-day matches: Brendan Doggett, Jack Edwards, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott.

Australia A – one-day games: Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachlan Shaw.

The Australia A tour schedule comprises two four-day matches and three one-day games, all in Puducherry; the first four-day match begins on September 22, the second unofficial Test on September 29, and the unofficial ODIs are set for October 6, 9 and 11.