India, May 17 -- Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was in the running to make a Test debut in Australia, was, on Friday, named captain of the 18-member India A squad to take on England Lions.

Shubman Gill, frontrunner to become the next Test captain, and Tamil Nadu opener Sai Sudharsan will reach England in time for the second of the three red-ball matches, which will serve as a dress rehearsal for India's upcoming five-Test series in England starting June 20.

The first of the three tour matches will be played from May 30 to June 2. This match will serve as an opportunity for Easwaran, 29, a prolific scorer in domestic cricket, to push his case. It will primarily involve players whose IPL teams are out (like Yashasvi Jaiswal) or likely to miss ou...