Asia Cup: 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to open for India versus Pakistan; Jitesh Sharma to lead
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of India bats during the Men’s U19 One Day International series match between Australia and India at Ian Healy Oval on September 21, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images) 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been picked in the India A squad for the Asian Cricket Council’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, to be held in Qatar.Vaibhav is all set to open with another Indian Premier League (IPL) sensation, Priyansh Arya.
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The boy, who made his first-class debut at 12, bagged his million-dollar IPL deal at 13, and then made history as the youngest player to hit a century in men’s T20s — off just 35 balls.Earlier this year, he hit the fastest century on record in youth ODIs against England at Worcester. He already has a big fan following. When he traveled to the UK, he was stopped for selfies at the airport, and fans reached the venue to get his autograph.The 24-year-old Arya, too, had an explosive IPL 2025. The Punjab Kings opener smashed 475 runs in 17 innings.India’s wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has been appointed captain, while Punjab’s Naman Dhir will be his deputy. Abhishek Porel is the second wicketkeeper.The tournament will be played from November 14 to 23 at the West End International Cricket Stadium in Doha.India A are placed in Group B alongside Oman, UAE, and Pakistan A.The two arch-rivals will lock horns on November 16.
Poll
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India A squad: 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, Abhishek Porel (WK), Suyash Sharma.Stand-by Players: Gurnoor Singh Brar, Kumar Kushagra, Tanush Kotian, Sameer Rizvi, Shaik Rasheed.
Schedule
No.DayDateOpponentMatch Type1Friday14th NovemberUAEGroup B League2Sunday16th NovemberPakistan AGroup B League3Tuesday18th NovemberOmanGroup B League4Friday21st November—Semi-final 15Friday21st November—Semi-final 26Sunday23rd November—Final
