Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
"My father said, “Neha shall come back by 3:00 p.m.”"

Rules for Changing Direct to Indirect Speech:
1. Tense Change:
· "Shall" in direct speech changes to "should" in indirect speech.
· The future tense verb "shall" is replaced with "should" when reporting.
2. Pronoun Change:
· "Neha" remains unchanged as it is a proper noun.
3. Correct Verb Usage:
· "Said that" is used instead of "told that" (which is incorrect without an object).
Other options:
· (b) "My father told that..." → Incorrect because "told" must be followed by an object (e.g., told me).
· (c) "Neha shall come back..." → Incorrect as "shall" must change to "should."
· (d) "Neha will come back..." → Incorrect as "will" must change to "should."
Thus, the correct answer is (a) "My father said that Neha should come back by 3:00 p.m."