Tilak For Leadership? 3 Key Takeaways From India A Squad For Australia A ODIs

Tilak Varma during a press conference - (Source : AFP)

On Sunday, September 14, the BCCI took to Twitter to announce the India A squad for unofficial ODIs against Australia A. Notably, the visitors will travel to India for three unofficial ODIs starting from September 30. 

Interestingly, the BCCI named a squad for the first ODI, which will be led by Rajat Patidar, whereas Tilak Varma will return to captain the team for the 2nd and 3rd ODI. Here is the squad for the upcoming series. 

India A Squad For Australia Series

1st one-day: Rajat Patidar (C), Prabhsimran (WK), Parag, Badoni, Shedge, Vipraj, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet, Yudhvir, Bishnoi, Porel (WK), Priyansh, Simarjeet. 

2nd & 3rd one-day: Tilak (C), Patidar (VC), Abhishek, Prabhsimran (WK), Parag, Badoni, Shedge, Vipraj, Nishant, Gurjapneet, Yudhvir, Bishnoi, Porel (WK), Harshit,  Arshdeep.

Meanwhile, this article will look at the key takeaways from the squad.

Major Takeaways from India A Squad 

1. BCCI Looking To Try Out Players From Vijay Hazare Trophy And IPL 2025

If we look at the squad closely, then a lot of youngsters have been included in the team. It seems that the apex cricket board of India are looking to prioritise players who have done well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and also the IPL.

The likes of Prabhsimran Singh, who had a stellar show in both Vijay Hazare and IPL, have been included in the team. Meanwhile, looking at the other players have also been doing well in the domestic circuit, is why the apex cricket board of India decided to reward them. 

Ayush Badoni, Abhishek Sharma, Priyansh Arya, and Vipraj Nigam, who all shone in IPL 2025, have been allowed to shine for India A. 

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sudharsan Ignored  

The squad included several new faces, but missed out on a few big names, who are in the scheme of things to be part of India's squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

Notably, Gaikwad and Sudharsan are both key figures for India's ODI set-up going forward and are in line to feature in the 2027 World Cup. However, their exclusions have sparked a new debate, and it seems that the BCCI is keen on trying out new faces before actually fixating on 20-25 members for the upcoming ODI World Cup. 

3. Rajat Patidar And Tilak Varma For Future Leadership Role

The BCCI is going ahead with Rajat Patidar and Tilak Varma as the captains for the upcoming series. It could also be an indication that the board is considering these two to be future deputies in the ODI format.

At present, the reports suggest that Rohit Sharma might not be able to make it to the 2027 World Cup, and Shubman Gill might replace the hitman as the future captain. 

In such a situation, the likes of Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer and the rest of the senior members are unlikely to be Gill's deputy, which is when Tilak or Rajat can be roped in as Gill's deputy in ODI set-up.

Rajat Patidar's recent performances as a captain

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