The road to T20 World Cup 2026 heats up with Tilak Varma’s inclusion in India A’s warm-up schedule. Facing USA Monday and Namibia Friday, the left-hand bat will transition to the primary squad for India’s February 7 start.
From Rajkot surgery to BCCI COE rehab in Bengaluru, Varma’s cleared via a recent sim match. World Cup priorities kept him from New Zealand T20s. Ayush Badoni leads a talented India A group.
Key players: Capped stars Riyan Parag, Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed, Mayank Yadav join forces with Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Priyansh Arya, Gurjapneet Singh, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Ashok Sharma. Dual wicketkeepers N Jagadeesan and Urvil Patel provide options.
Injury warriors shine: Mayank post-back fracture surgery (Christchurch), absent from LSG IPL 2025. Riyan recovers from shoulder at COE. Coaches: Venkata Ramana (head), Vineet Saxena (bats), Avinash Khandelwal (fields).
India A lineup: Ayush Badoni (c), Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Priyansh Arya, N Jagadeesan (wk), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Manav Suthar, Ashok Sharma, Urvil Patel (wk), Gurjapneet Singh, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed, Mayank Yadav.
Warm-ups promise fireworks, fueling India’s World Cup charge with fresh talent and grit.