Rising Stars Asia Cup: Jitesh Sharma to lead India A
What's the story
Jitesh Sharma has been appointed as the captain of the India A team for the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup. The tournament, formerly known as the Emerging Teams event, will be held in Doha from November 14 to 23. Naman Dhir has been named as his deputy for this prestigious competition. Here are further details.
Team composition
A look at the batting lineup
The squad for the T20 tournament is a mix of players who have performed well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years. This includes Ramandeep Singh, Abishek Porel, Suyash Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Nehal Wadhera, and Dhir. Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Suryavanshi are also part of this stellar lineup after making their IPL debuts in 2025.
Domestic talent
Prominent pacers in the squad
The rest of the squad is made up of Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yudhvir Singh. These players are all prominent performers in the Indian domestic circuit. Among them, Jitesh is the only one who has played internationally recently during the ongoing T20I series in Australia.
Match schedule
Tournament format and schedule
The tournament will see Pakistan A take on Oman in the opener, with India A facing off against Pakistan A on November 16. The teams are divided into two groups: Group A comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka while Group B has India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE. This will be the first cricketing exchange between the men's teams of India and Pakistan since their senior Asia Cup clash in September.
Information
India A's squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup
India A's squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup: Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir (vc), Suryansh Shedge, Jitesh Sharma (c/wk), Ramandeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ashutosh Sharma, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Abhisek Porel (wk), Suyash Sharma.