Lucknow Super Giants’ pace duo of Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep have been included in the India A squad for the upcoming tour of England.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a formidable India A squad to be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, while wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has been appointed as vice-captain.

India A will play two first-class matches against England Lions, with the first game scheduled to start in Canterbury on May 30, while the second match will be held at Northampton from June 6.

The squad will conclude their tour with an intra-squad game against the senior Indian men's cricket team from June 13 in Beckenham.

Shardul Thakur has been rewarded after his impressive performances in the domestic circuit.

The Mumbai right-arm pacer was one of the standout bowlers in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, having picked up 35 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.62, with three four-wicket hauls and a fifer.

Apart from his bowling credentials, Shardul also amassed 505 runs at an average of 42.08. He slammed one century and four fifties in the last Ranji Trophy season.

Since making his Test debut against West Indies in Hyderabad in 2018, Shardul has claimed 31 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 28.38. He has also scored 331 runs in Test cricket with four half-centuries to his name.

Meanwhile, Akash Deep made a memorable Test debut against England in Ranchi in February 2024. The right-arm fast bowler produced a fiery opening spell to help India register a five-wicket victory.

Since then, Akash Deep has already bagged 15 wickets in seven Tests, with best figures of 3/83.

India A tour of England schedule, fixtures and match times

Dates

Match

Venue

Time (IST)

May 30-June 2

England Lions v India A

Canterbury

2:30 PM

June 6-9

England Lions v India A

Northampton

2:30 PM

June 13-16

Intra-squad match

Beckenham

2:30 PM

India A squad squad for England tour 2025: Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain/wicket-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey, Shubman Gill (available after first match), Sai Sudharsan (available after first match)