Tilak Varma has been named captain of a powerful India A squad selected for the upcoming ACC Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup. Middle-order batter Rajat Patidar will serve as his deputy during the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on November 19 in Doha, Qatar. Moving away from last year’s T20 structure, this edition of the competition will feature a 50-over format. Tilak will lead a strong Indian contingent to feature in the tournament that begins on November 19 in Doha.
India A’s top order features the world’s top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, alongside young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and prolific IPL run-scorer Prabhsimran Singh. The middle order is bolstered by explosive hitter Rinku Singh, while Kumar Kushagra—recently called up to the senior national T20 setup—joins the group as the secondary wicketkeeper behind Prabhsimran. Young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and prolific runscorer in IPL, Prabhsimran Singh, make up the top order, the world’s No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma.
The squad highlights a heavy emphasis on slow bowling options. Alongside spinner Harsh Dubey, selectors have included Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, and Tanush Kotian. The pace department features Harshit Rana, who is aiming to push for a return to the senior ODI squad following injury setbacks, alongside fellow seamers Prince Yadav and Arshad Khan. Notably, Sooryavanshi, Dubey, and Suryansh Shedge are the only players retained from the 2025 roster.
Doha previously hosted the event at a similar point last year, where Pakistan claimed victory against Bangladesh in the final. For this campaign, India A are placed in Group B alongside Pakistan A, Nepal, and the UAE. Their schedule opens against Nepal on November 20, followed by crucial group fixtures against Pakistan A on November 22 and the UAE on November 24, with the top two sides progressing to the semifinals. A top-two finish in the group will send them to the semifinal.
India A SquadAbhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Tilak Varma (c), Rajat Patidar (vc), Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan.
