India A, led by Tilak Varma, were dealt a body blow ahead of the must-win Tri-Nation Series match against Afghanistan A on Wednesday in Dambulla. Pacer Yudhvir Singh has been ruled out of the remainder of the series, and speedster Ashok Sharma has been named as his replacement. The decision to send Yudhvir back to India was taken after he felt discomfort in his right shoulder while bowling on June 13.
He had also experienced similar pain earlier during a fielding session on June 11. The BCCI Medical Team then consulted a specialist, who recommended that Yudhvir should undergo a graduated rehabilitation programme under the “supervision of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) to achieve a full recovery from the right rotator cuff injury.”
Speaking of India A, the side is in a spot of bother after Tilak Varma and co lost against Sri Lanka A in a Super Over on Monday. The team had previously come up short against Afghanistan A under the DLS method as well. India A now must win against Afghanistan on Wednesday to keep their fate in their own hands.
A loss would leave India A depending on Sri Lanka A and on whether the hosts could defeat Afghanistan in the final league-stage game. India A began their campaign in the Tri-Series with a narrow eight-run win in the opening match against Sri Lanka A, but since then, their campaign has gone downhill.
One of the biggest disappointments has been the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, failing to show the same form as the IPL 2026 season. He was involved in an ugly altercation with the Sri Lanka A players on Monday, and he almost came to blows with one player after India A’s loss in the Super Over.
Rise of Ashok Sharma
Delhi pacer Ashok impressed one and all with his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. In the six matches he played for the franchise, he scalped six wickets, with his best figures coming against the Lucknow Super Giants (2/32).
Prior to the IPL, Ashok impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in 10 matches. It was also his debut season.
Updated India A squad for tri-series: Tilak Varma (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy, Ashok Sharma.
