News
India A to play 3 games against Lions ahead of England Tests
Follow UsThe three four-day games will be played between May 26 and June 19
Just after the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, Indian players will embark on a tour of England to play three four-day games against England Lions in what would mark the start of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
These players will be part of the India A squad if reports from ESPNCricinfo are to be believed.
The three-match series, most likely with first-class games status, will begin after May 25, when the IPL 2025 is supposed to end and, end before June 20, the date earmarked for the first of the five Tests between the two nations for the Pataudi Trophy 2025.
After being brushed aside 1-3 by Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, India would be looking to make amends and get acclimatised to the English conditions before the all-important series.
The opposition that India will face remains unknown. With the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) creating a special window for the T20 Blast exactly after the end of the IPL and the start of the India Tests, Indian fans' worries about a quality opposition are likely to grow.
However, the BCCI has an understanding with the ECB for shadow tours of A teams before the senior men’s side Test tours. It is understood that, like the England Lions, they will be given a strong side that includes players like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna, who went on to play Test cricket for India. The Indian A team will also get a strong opposition to practice against.
