15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Earns Maiden India A ODI Call-Up

The BCCI has announced India A’s squad for the upcoming ODI tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. The tournament will begin less than ten days after the conclusion of IPL 2026, with several young Indian stars set to feature. Tilak Varma has retained his role as captain after previously leading India A during the ODI series against South Africa A in November 2025.

One of the biggest talking points from the squad announcement is the inclusion of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has earned his maiden unofficial ODI call-up. The youngster had made his India A debut during last year’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament and continues his rapid rise through the ranks. With Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma unavailable after being part of the previous South Africa A series, Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya have been brought into the side.

The leadership group has also undergone a slight change, with Riyan Parag being appointed vice-captain following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s promotion to the senior Indian team. Meanwhile, injured pacer Khaleel Ahmed misses out, and Gujarat Titans all-rounder Arshad Khan has been drafted in as his replacement. The pace attack also includes Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, and Anshul Kamboj, with Harshit Rana sidelined through injury and senior bowlers like Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh managing workloads.

Apart from the ODI tri-series, India A will also play two four-day matches against Sri Lanka A in Galle after the completion of the tournament. However, the BCCI clarified that the squad for the red-ball fixtures will be announced later. India’s upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled from June 6 to 10 in Punjab, has influenced the scheduling and squad planning for the longer-format matches.

In an official statement, the BCCI said, “India A will also play two multi-day matches against Sri Lanka A, with the squad for the red-ball fixtures to be announced at a later date.” The move reflects the board’s continued emphasis on giving emerging players exposure across formats while also preparing a strong bench strength for the future.

The India A squad for the ODI tri-series is as follows: Tilak Varma (captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Anukul Roy, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, and Arshad Khan.

India A tri-series schedule

Match No.	Day	Date	Match	Venue
1	Tuesday	June 9	India A vs Sri Lanka A	Dambulla
2	Thursday	June 11	India A vs Afghanistan A	Dambulla
3	Saturday	June 13	Afghanistan A vs Sri Lanka A	Dambulla
4	Monday	June 15	India A vs Sri Lanka A	Dambulla
5	Wednesday	June 17	India A vs Afghanistan A	Dambulla
6	Friday	June 19	Afghanistan A vs Sri Lanka A	Dambulla
7	Sunday	June 21	Tri Nation Final	Dambulla