 "Pakistan challenge awaits Vaibhav Suryavanshi as he earns maiden India A call-up for Rising Stars Asia Cup")
Pakistan are all set to get the taste of 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the youngster was named in the squad for the upcoming Rising Stars Asia Cup, beginning November 14 in Doha.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad on Tuesday morning, and the team will be led by wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who is currently with the main squad in Australia for the ongoing five-match T20I series.
The Senior Men’s Selection Committee has picked the India A squad for the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Rising Stars Asia Cup to be held in Qatar. The Tournament will be played from November 14 to 23 at the West End International Cricket Stadium in Doha.
This is the first time Pakistan will face Suryavanshi in senior cricket after his record-shattering debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year. Playing for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, Suryavanshi smashed the second-fastest century in the history of the league in just his third match.
He also proved his worth in the subsequent tour of England as part of India’s U-19 team, where he scored the fastest-ever century in a Men's Youth ODI. After that, Suryavanshi played against Australia U-19 and put on some commendable performances, including a century and a half-century.
It appears that the BCCI selection committee has fast-tracked Suryavanshi’s transition from U-19 cricket to India A after looking at his performances across formats.
First India vs Pakistan face-off after Asia Cup trophy row
Meanwhile, this is the first time India will face Pakistan in a cricket match since the Asia Cup 2025 controversy in September. India defeated Pakistan thrice in the tournament, including in the final, but were denied the trophy by the current ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Naqvi took the trophy away with him after the Indian team refused to receive it from him because of his anti-India comments. The trophy has still not been handed to the BCCI despite their repeated reminder to the ACC. It’s been more than a month since India won the title.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe trophy row had occurred after the earlier controversy, where the Indian team had refused to shake hands with Pakistani players as a sign of protest for the Pahalgam terror attack. It will be interesting to see if the India A team follows the same no-handshake policy against Pakistan in the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
India A’s squad for Rising Stars Asia Cup: Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir (VC), Suryansh Shedge, Jitesh Sharma (C) (WK), Ramandeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ashutosh Sharma, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Abhisek Porel (WK), Suyash Sharma.
Stand-by Players: Gurnoor Singh Brar, Kumar Kushagra, Tanush Kotian, Sameer Rizvi, Shaik Rasheed.
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