Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed captain of India A for the three-match ODI series against Australia A, with Devdutt Padikkal serving as deputy. The series begins on October 6 in Puducherry, with all three one-day matches scheduled at the same venue. Padikkal will lead the India A side in the two-match red-ball leg, which starts on September 22 in Puducherry.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has offered his perspective on the captaincy decision, acknowledging the strengths of multiple candidates for the role. Speaking on the subject, Jaffer examined the credentials of three players who could have led the side.
Jaffer weighed the merits of Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan as potential captains for the India A side. He recognised that each player brought distinct qualities to the leadership discussion, with different strengths in terms of experience and proven captaincy performance.
“As far as I know, Gaikwad is slightly senior. He has been playing for India A for a while. But it does make sense that Rajat Patidar also deserves captaincy. Even Ishan Kishan. He has been leading well,” Jaffer said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“But you can hand it to anyone out of these three. I don’t think it is that big a matter. Yes, Patidar and Kishan have better credentials, but Gaikwad is slightly ahead in terms of seniority. I don’t think the players will mind,” he added.
Jaffer’s assessment of the three captaincy options
Jaffer’s assessment highlighted the balance between seniority and proven leadership qualities among the three contenders. While acknowledging that Patidar and Kishan possess stronger captaincy credentials, he noted that Gaikwad’s longer tenure in India A cricket gave him a slight edge in terms of experience within the system. The former batter’s remarks suggested that any of the three would be capable of handling the responsibility effectively.
The India A ODI squad for the Australia series includes Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Prabhsimran Singh, Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur. Hardik Pandya has not played competitive cricket since the IPL 2026 season.
