Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy to join India A four-day games ahead of New Zealand Tests
Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy will feature in India A’s four-day fixtures against New Zealand A as India prepare for the two-Test series that begins on November 19, with Siraj set to join the second match starting October 31. Nitish will remain with the senior ODI squad for the series opener on November 4 before linking up with India A for the third and final four-day game.
Siraj’s arrival for the second four-day match and Nitish’s staged participation are part of India’s preparations for the Test series, with the India A fixtures intended to provide red-ball match practice. Prasidh Krishna is also likely to return to action in the final India A clash, having been ruled out of the five-match ODI series against New Zealand because of a hamstring injury; his inclusion remains subject to clearing a Return to Play assessment. The schedule therefore staggers senior and India A involvement to give players match time ahead of the Tests.
India A’s updated squad for the second four-day game against New Zealand A includes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Rathod, R. Smaran, Dhruv Jurel [C] [WK], Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Shikhar Mohan, Mukesh Choudhary, Mukesh Kumar, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra [WK].
India’s updated ODI squad for the first three ODIs is: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (only for the first ODI).
India’s updated ODI squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs is: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
Siraj’s inclusion in the second four-day match is intended to help him build red-ball rhythm ahead of the Tests; he has 144 wickets in 48 Test appearances. Nitish has scored 396 runs and taken eight wickets in 10 Test matches, including a maiden century against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His most recent Test appearance came against South Africa in the second Test in Guwahati in November 2025, when he scored 10 off 21 balls and returned figures of 0/49 with the ball.
The 23-year-old Nitish has also been involved in India’s white-ball campaign, contributing an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch, where he also claimed a wicket and combined with Tilak Varma in a match-winning partnership. He will now look to make the most of the India A fixture to get some valuable time in the middle before the New Zealand series.
Prasidh Krishna sustained a hamstring injury during the ODI series against the West Indies and has been progressing towards full fitness; although ruled out of the New Zealand ODI series he is expected to join India A for the third and final four-day match, subject to passing the Return to Play assessment. The India A fixtures will offer Siraj, Nitish and Prasidh opportunities to build match fitness and rhythm ahead of the two-Test series that begins on November 19.
