Tilak to captain India ‘A’ in 50-over tri-series in Sri Lanka; Sooryavanshi, Priyansh included

New Delhi: Left-handed batter Tilak Varma will lead India ‘A’ in the upcoming 50-over tri-series in Sri Lanka, with young batters Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya among the notable inclusions in the squad announced by the senior men’s selection committee on Thursday.

The tri-series, scheduled to be held from June 9-21 in Dambulla, will also feature hosts Sri Lanka ‘A’, and Afghanistan ‘A’. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said India A is also slated to play two multi-day matches against Sri Lanka A in Galle, with the squad for the red-ball fixtures to be announced at a later date.

This is the first time explosive left-handed opener Sooryavanshi has been named in India ‘A’ setup, after making an unforgettable mark in every format and level he’s played so far. Earlier this year, Sooryavanshi was named Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament in India winning the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year.

In IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi has made 440 runs in 11 games for the Rajasthan Royals at a strike-rate of 236.56. Just like Sooryavanshi, Arya has been in explosive form for Punjab Kings by making 342 runs in ten games at a strike-rate of 226.49.

Tilak, meanwhile, has been actively leading India A for quite some time. He was named India A skipper for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup in October 2024 and held the same role during India A’s one-day series against South Africa A in November last year.

Riyan Parag has been named as the vice‑captain, while the squad also includes Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Harsh Dubey, and Vipraj Nigam. Prabhsimran Singh and Kumar Kushagra have been named as wicketkeepers, while Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, the third highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps, and Arshad Khan will handle the fast bowling department.

India ‘A’ will begin their campaign against Sri Lanka ‘A’ on June 9, followed by a clash against Afghanistan ‘A’ on June 11. The round‑robin stage continues until June 19, with the final scheduled to be played on June 21.

India A squad: Tilak Varma (captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, and Arshad Khan.

IANS