Tilak Varma gets his first taste of India A leadership. The BCCI named him captain of the side that will travel to Sri Lanka in June for a three-team ODI series involving Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, with all group matches and the final taking place in Dambulla.
Riyan Parag slots in as vice-captain. The two have been among the more consistent performers in recent IPL seasons and their pairing at the top of the leadership structure reflects where the selectors see them heading.
The selection everyone will talk about is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The teenager has not played India A cricket before and his inclusion here is the clearest signal yet that the selectors want to see how he handles a step up from junior cricket. Whether he is ready is a question this tournament will answer.
The rest of the batting includes Priyansh Arya, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, and Suryansh Shedge. Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra share wicketkeeping duties. The bowling is covered by Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, and Anshul Kamboj with the new ball, and Harsh Dubey, Vipraj Nigam, and Arshad Khan as spin and all-round options.
SQUAD
Tilak Varma (Captain), Riyan Parag (Vice-Captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Harsh Dubey, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Arshad Khan, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj
SCHEDULE — DAMBULLA
June 9 — India A vs Sri Lanka A
June 11 — India A vs Afghanistan A
June 13 — Afghanistan A vs Sri Lanka A
June 15 — India A vs Sri Lanka A
June 17 — India A vs Afghanistan A
June 19 — Afghanistan A vs Sri Lanka A
June 21 — Final
India A open against Sri Lanka A on June 9 and face Afghanistan A two days later. The final is on June 21. After the ODIs, the squad will also travel to Galle for two multi-day matches against Sri Lanka A — though the BCCI said the red-ball squad for those games will be announced separately.