New Delhi [India], May 31 : Ruturaj Gaikwad has been recalled to the India A squad for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, replacing Riyan Parag, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and will undergo rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
The call-up provides Gaikwad with a timely opportunity to regain form and confidence following a challenging Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Despite captaining Chennai Super Kings, the opener endured a relatively subdued campaign, scoring 337 runs at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44, falling short of the high standards he has set in previous editions.
India A will kick off their tri-series campaign on June 9, shortly after the IPL wraps up.
"The Men's Selection Committee has added Ruturaj Gaikwad to the India A squad for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka. He replaces vice-captain Riyan Parag, who has been ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury. Riyan's rehabilitation will be managed by the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE)," BCCI wrote in a statement.
The tri-series will feature India A, Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, with all white-ball fixtures set to be played in Dambulla. Following the limited-overs competition, the tour will shift to Galle, where India A will take on Sri Lanka A in two multi-day matches as part of their red-ball preparations.
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, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy.