Image Credit- Getty
The Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup begins in Oman on October 18 and Tilak Varma will captain India A. Alongside Varma, who has played for India in four One-Day Internationals and sixteen Twenty20 Internationals, the squad also includes Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar, two other players with international experience.
Ayush Badoni (LSG), Ramandeep Singh (KKR), Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS), Nehal Wadhera (MI), and Anuj Rawat (RCB) form a formidable batting unit, while R Sai Kishore (GT), Hrithik Shokeen (MI), Rasikh Salam (DC), Vaibhav Arora (KKR), and Aaqib Khan make up the bowling group. The rest of the team can rely on their IPL experience.
All-rounders Nishant Sindhu, who competed for India in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup and won a title with them, and Anshul Kamboj, who attracted attention during the recent Duleep Trophy four-day matches, are also included in the squad.
On October 19, India will launch their campaign against Pakistan A. The other two teams in their group are Oman and UAE.
The competition has been staged in 50-over format for the past five years; this will be the first time it is played in T20 format. Pakistan had won the last two times, while India had won the first tournament in 2013. Pakistan won the title in 2023 by defeating India in the championship match.
India A squad for Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Tilak Varma (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Anuj Rawat, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Anshul Kamboj, Hrithik Shokeen, Aaqib Khan, Vaibhav Arora, Rasikh Salam, Sai Kishore, Rahul Chahar.