Ruturaj Gaikwad added to India A squad as Riyan Parag's replacement for Sri Lanka tri-series

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been added to India A's squad for their upcoming List A tri-series in Sri Lanka, starting from June 9. The Chennai Super Kings captain has replaced Riyan Parag, who has sustained a hamstring injury.

Parag was initially named vice captain of the squad and was set to serve as deputy to Tilak Varma. However, that title has been taken over by the incoming Gaikwad. 

It is safe to assume that Parag picked up his hamstring injury during the course of the 2026 Indian Premier League. The Rajasthan Royals skipper missed a couple of matches in the tournament, but did feature in the latter stages, including playing the Eliminator and Qualifier 2. The 24-year-old's rehabilitation will be under the supervision of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE).

Gaikwad, meanwhile, comes into the setup after some excellent performances for India's senior squad in ODIs. The right-hander batted twice against South Africa towards the end of 2025, where he scored his maiden international century in the 50-over format, hitting 105 off 83 balls in Raipur. The Men in Blue, however, ended the game on the losing side after the Proteas chased down 359 thanks to Aiden Markram's century in the second innings.

The tri-series in Sri Lanka offers a huge opportunity for players who are on the fringes of the senior squad to impress and put their name in the hat for selection for the 2027 ICC World Cup.

The inclusion of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the highlight of India A's tour to Sri Lanka in the coming month. The 15-year-old has been picked for the first time after starring in the IPL and hitting 776 runs from 16 innings at a strike-rate of over 228.95.

Updated India A squad for tri-series:

Tilak Varma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), 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