Cricket fans in India will have the opportunity to watch the upcoming India A shadow tour of New Zealand, as Sony Sports has confirmed it will broadcast all three four-day matches. The network, which holds the primary broadcasting rights for cricket in New Zealand, will also oversee the production of these games. This coverage is considered notable, as it is relatively rare for India A tour matches in the region to be televised; the decision appears to be driven by the inclusion of several prominent international cricketers in the travelling squad.
The India A team, captained by Dhruv Jurel and featuring notable players such as KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Sai Sudharsan, and Mukesh Kumar, is scheduled to depart from Bengaluru on October 18. The matches are slated for October 24 to 27, October 31 to November 3, and November 7 to 10. The venues for these fixtures include the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln and the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, with all play scheduled to commence at 3:30 AM IST.
Beyond the four-day matches, Sony Sports will provide live coverage for the remainder of the India tour, which consists of five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Test matches. In instances where international fixtures overlap with India A games, the network plans to show both events live. The coaching staff for the tour will consist of members from the Centre of Excellence, specifically Hrishikesh Kanitkar serving as batting coach, Laxmipathy Balaji as pace bowling coach, and Sunil Joshi as spin bowling coach. They will be supported by physio Thulasi and trainer Harrsha. While the involvement of VVS Laxman remains unconfirmed, the support staff that recently assisted the team during the Asian Games in Japan will accompany the squad to New Zealand. On days, there will be both India internationals (either a T20I or an ODI) and India A games and both will, of course, be shown live.
