Tilak Varma to Lead India A in Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024

Tilak Varma, a prominent batter from Hyderabad and a member of the Mumbai Indians, has been appointed as the captain of the India A squad for the forthcoming Emerging Teams Asia Cup. The tournament will be conducted in Oman from October 18 to October 27, 2024, with matches taking place in a T20 format in the city of Muscat.

Varma’s leadership will be supported by the aggressive opening batter, Abhishek Sharma, who has been designated as vice-captain of the 15-member squad. Notably, Sharma is one of the only two players from the 2023 edition, which was played in the ODI format, to be retained in this year’s team. The other player making a return is left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu.

With a focus on dynamic and powerful cricket, the squad features a strong batting line-up, including players such as Prabhsimran Singh, Ayush Badoni, and Nehal Wadhera, who have all made significant advancements in T20 cricket recently.

Ramandeep Singh, who played a crucial role in the Kolkata Knight Riders‘ championship-winning season in 2024 with vital innings, has also been included. Heading the bowling attack will be pacer Anshul Kamboj and left-arm spinner Sai Kishore, among other capable players.

India has been placed in Group B with hosts Oman, Pakistan A, and the UAE. Their campaign will kickstart with a match against traditional rivals Pakistan A on October 19.

The full India A squad for the tournament includes: Tilak Varma (Captain), Abhishek Sharma (Vice-Captain), Prabhsimran Singh (Wicketkeeper), Nishant Sindhu, Ramandeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Ayush Badoni, Anuj Rawat (Wicketkeeper), Sai Kishore, Hrithik Shokeen, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Anshul Kamboj, Aquib Khan, and Rasik Salam.