Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been named in a star-studded India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup, marking his return to competitive cricket after more than three months on the sidelines.
The 24-year-old has not played since featuring for the senior team on the England tour in July. A knee injury earlier in the year ruled him out of the T20 World Cup and the IPL, while a subsequent setback at the BCCI’s centre of excellence further delayed his comeback.
Rana will lead the pace attack alongside Prince Yadav and all-rounder Suryansh Shedge in the 50-over tournament, which begins in Doha on 19 November. His ability to contribute with the bat at No. 8 has also been highlighted by head coach Gautam Gambhir as a valuable asset ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup.
The squad is packed with T20 specialists, including Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rinku Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. Tilak Varma has been named captain, with back-to-back IPL-winning skipper Rajat Patidar as his deputy.
India A appear keen to test how their white-ball talents adapt to the longer format. While Sooryavanshi and Abhishek are not currently in the ODI frame, both possess high ceilings — Sooryavanshi already has a List A score of 190 from just 13 matches.
The spin department features a blend of T20 and first-class specialists, including Delhi Capitals leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam, Vidarbha left-armer Harsh Dubey (fresh from a nine-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy) and Mumbai off-spinner Tanush Kotian.
India A have been drawn in Group B alongside the United Arab Emirates, Nepal and Pakistan A. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on 26 and 27 November, with the final scheduled for 29 November. India A face Pakistan A on 22 November.
India A squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Tilak Varma (capt), Rajat Patidar (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan.