Tilak Varma to captain India A at the Rising Stars Asia Cup as Harshit Rana returns

India A will play the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha under Tilak Varma, with Harshit Rana named in a 15-man squad for his first competitive cricket since July

The BCCI's Men's Selection Committee named the squad on Monday, handing the captaincy to Tilak Varma and the vice-captaincy to Rajat Patidar for a tournament that runs from 19 to 29 November in Qatar.

India A are in Group B alongside Pakistan Shaheens, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates. They open against Nepal on 20 November, meet Pakistan Shaheens on 22 November and close the group against the UAE on 24 November.

The selection that will draw most attention is Harshit Rana's. The fast bowler has not played a competitive match since July, and three separate injuries have kept him out of almost everything India have played in 2026.

A 50-over assignment for a T20 squad

This edition is a 50-over tournament, a change from the 2025 edition, which was played as Twenty20 cricket in the same city.

That matters for the shape of the squad. Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rinku Singh and Prabhsimran Singh have built their reputations in the shortest format, and none of them is a fixture in India's current one-day plans.

Eight teams play a single round robin across two groups, with the top two in each advancing. The semi-finals are on 26 and 27 November and the final is on 29 November.

Nepal, the UAE and Hong Kong, China are fielding their senior national sides, having qualified through the ACC Men's Premier Cup in Malaysia in July. Their matches against a Full Member A team carry official List A status, and Nepal against the UAE will be recognised as a one-day international.

Harshit Rana's year of setbacks

Rana's 2026 began with a knee injury in a T20 World Cup warm-up against South Africa in Navi Mumbai. Mohammed Siraj replaced him in that squad, and surgery cost him the Indian Premier League as well.

He was back with the India group by June, only for a hamstring problem in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge to end his tour in July.

The most recent setback came on 7 September, when the BCCI said he had strained his rectus femoris bowling in a match simulation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. That ruled him out of the Afghanistan T20Is and the Asian Games, with Yash Thakur called up in his place.

Doha is therefore as much a fitness assessment as a selection, and three group matches in five days will test a bowler who has barely bowled in competition this year.

Tilak Varma leads, Patidar deputises

Tilak Varma was named Shreyas Iyer's deputy for the T20I series in New Zealand, which India won 3-2 on Sunday, and now takes a side of his own.

Patidar arrives as an IPL-winning captain with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and gives the middle order a second senior voice.

Prabhsimran Singh is the first-choice wicketkeeper, with Kumar Kushagra also named as a gloveman, while Suryansh Shedge offers pace-bowling all-round cover.

Ranji form in the spin stocks

The spin group is the most in-form part of the squad. Harsh Dubey was picked on the same day he took 9-53 for Vidarbha against Madhya Pradesh in Nagpur, one of the best returns of the Ranji Trophy season.

He is joined by the left-arm spin of Shahbaz Ahmed, the leg spin of Vipraj Nigam and the off spin of Tanush Kotian, with Prince Yadav and Arshad Khan supporting Rana with the new ball.

Sooryavanshi, still early in his List A career, is the squad's most-discussed batter, and a 50-over tournament against senior associate attacks gives the selectors a longer look at him than a T20 event would.

Pakistan Shaheens defend the title

Pakistan Shaheens travel to Doha as holders, having beaten Bangladesh A in a Super Over in last year's final, and are the most successful side in the tournament's history.

They are in India A's group again, which puts the 22 November fixture at the centre of the schedule for both sides.

Group A is made up of Bangladesh A, Sri Lanka A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong, China.

India A squad: Tilak Varma (c), Rajat Patidar (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan.

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