India A dealt huge blow ahead of must-win match against Afghanistan A, BCCI names replacement for Yudhvir Singh

BCCI named a replacement after pacer Yudhvir Singh was ruled out of the ongoing Tri-Nation A series.

Updated on: Jun 16, 2026, 11:34:14 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

India A, led by Tilak Varma, were dealt a body blow ahead of the must-win Tri-Nation Series match against Afghanistan A on Wednesday in Dambulla. Pacer Yudhvir Singh has been ruled out of the remainder of the series, and speedster Ashok Sharma has been named as his replacement. The decision to send Yudhvir back to India was taken after he felt discomfort in his right shoulder while bowling on June 13.

For RR, Jofra Archer, Yudhvir Singh, Maheesh Theekshana and Riyan Parag took a wicket each. (Surjeet Yadav)

He had also experienced similar pain earlier during a fielding session on June 11. The BCCI Medical Team then consulted a specialist, who recommended that Yudhvir should undergo a graduated rehabilitation programme under the “supervision of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) to achieve a full recovery from the right rotator cuff injury.”

Also Read: 'Ball dikh hi nahi raha hai': Tilak Varma's Super Over crusade leaves officials facing scrutiny amid fading-light drama

Speaking of India A, the side is in a spot of bother after Tilak Varma and co lost against Sri Lanka A in a Super Over on Monday. The team had previously come up short against Afghanistan A under the DLS method as well. India A now must win against Afghanistan on Wednesday to keep their fate in their own hands.

A loss would leave India A depending on Sri Lanka A and on whether the hosts could defeat Afghanistan in the final league-stage game. India A began their campaign in the Tri-Series with a narrow eight-run win in the opening match against Sri Lanka A, but since then, their campaign has gone downhill.

One of the biggest disappointments has been the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, failing to show the same form as the IPL 2026 season. He was involved in an ugly altercation with the Sri Lanka A players on Monday, and he almost came to blows with one player after India A's loss in the Super Over.

Rise of Ashok Sharma

Delhi pacer Ashok impressed one and all with his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. In the six matches he played for the franchise, he scalped six wickets, with his best figures coming against the Lucknow Super Giants (2/32).

Prior to the IPL, Ashok impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in 10 matches. It was also his debut season.

Updated India A squad for tri-series: Tilak Varma (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy, Ashok Sharma.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.