The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially named wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel as the captain of the India A squad for their upcoming red-ball tour of Sri Lanka. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced the 14-member roster on Saturday, June 6, 2026, for the two multi-day fixtures. Prominent batter Devdutt Padikkal has been appointed as the vice-captain for the red-ball segment.

This red-ball tour is designed to help India's emerging players adjust to spin-friendly subcontinent tracks and get used to the red Kookaburra ball ahead of the senior Indian team's World Test Championship series in August.

Amar Mokhade, a rock-solid top-order anchor who earned his maiden call-up through sheer domestic consistency. He grabbed national attention by becoming the fastest Indian batsman to cross 1,000 runs in List-A cricket. Core players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Badoni, Anshul Kamboj, and Yash Thakur will stay in Sri Lanka.

They will transition directly into the red-ball squad under Jurel starting June 25, 2026, in Galle. Galle is famous for turning pitches. The selectors have included spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Saransh Jain to see how the team handles heavy spin environments. Senior coaches are monitoring this series closely. Slots in the senior team are opening up, particularly for top-order batting and backup pace options. Strong performances here could earn players a ticket to the World Test Championship series in August.

Full squad: Dhruv Jurel (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Devdutt Padikkal (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Badoni, N. Jagadeesan (Wicketkeeper), Shaik Rasheed, Aman Mokhade, Ayush Mhatre, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Gurnoor Brar, Zeeshan Ansari, Saransh Jain, and Harsh Dubey.

Auqib Nabi earns maiden India-A call up

The maiden India A call-up for Auqib Nabi is the biggest talking point of the squad announcement. Known as the "Baramulla Express," the 29-year-old fast-bowling all-rounder from Jammu & Kashmir has finally been rewarded by the ⁠BCCI selectors after a legendary domestic run. He finished as the highest wicket-taker in the country, taking 60 wickets at a mind-boggling average of just 12.57.

He was named the Player of the Tournament for single-handedly architecting Jammu & Kashmir’s first-ever Ranji Trophy title. He stepped up when it mattered most, taking crucial five-wicket hauls in the quarter-final, semi-final, and the final match. This included a career-best match haul of 12/110 against Madhya Pradesh.

Before his India A call-up, Nabi’s name was at the center of a national cricket debate. Despite his 60 Ranji wickets, he was initially left out of the main senior Indian Test squad to play Afghanistan. Former players and fans publicly criticized the selection panel for ignoring his domestic mastery. Responding to the pressure, the team management brought him in as an official net bowler for the senior national Test camp in New Chandigarh.

Bowling to elite senior batters gave him direct exposure to the international setup just days before this India A breakthrough. Nabi will lead the pace attack alongside Yash Thakur and Anshul Kamboj in Galle. The dry, spin-friendly tracks will test his patience, but his elite ability to extract reverse swing will be India A’s primary weapon with the Kookaburra ball.