Ruturaj Gaikwad has replaced Riyan Parag in the India A squad for the 50-over tri-series featuring Afghanistan A and hosts Sri Lanka A. Parag has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury and his rehabilitation will be managed by the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Gaikwad will be the vice-captain, the role that was assigned to Parag in the original squad. Parag played the last leg of IPL 2026 with the injury. His team, Rajasthan Royals, reached the playoffs but lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 in New Chandigarh.
Gaikwad had a tough season as Chennai Super Kings’ captain as they finished eighth on the points table. Gaikwad’s returns with the bat were also middling: 337 runs in 14 games at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44.
His 50-over form, though, has been good. In November 2025, he was the leading run-getter during the one-day series against South Africa. He made 210 runs in three games and was named the Player of the Series. Then, in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 413 runs for Maharashtra, at an average of 82.60 and a strike rate of 115.04.
Tilak Varma will lead India in the tri-series. They will play their first match against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla on June 9.
India A squad for tri-series: Tilak Varma (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-capt), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy
