India A will play a couple of warm-up matches ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The first match will be against the United States of America on February 2 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, while the second will be against Namibia on February 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The BCCI has only just announced a fascinating squad for the challenge. Tilak is part of the squad the main T20 World Cup Ahed Ergland already lands Tilak varma be added in the contingent returned to full fitness. Among the attendees are also Riyan Parag and Mayank Yadav.
India A’s squad: N Jagadeesan (wk), Priyansh Arya, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Ayush Badoni (c), Riyan Parag, Urvil Patel (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed, Mayank Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Gurjapneet Singh, Manav Suthar.
United States of America’s squad: Andries Gous, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (c & wk), Shehan Jayasuriya, Shubham Ranjane, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Nosthush Kenjige, Jasdeep Singh.
It might be argued that not all of the players chosen for the squad deserved to be there. On that topic, here are three players who were fortunate to be named to India A’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 warmup matches.
3. Manav Suthar
When options like Harsh Dubey and Nishant Sindhu are at disposal, it makes us wonder about picking Manav Suthar though. Nor are Dubey and Sindhu quite novices either, both having been in the India A setup fairly recently and also played for Rising Stars Asia Cup before Suthar.
Dubey led Vidarbha to Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph while Sindhu has also had a good run in domestic cricket. Suthar is certainly a talented cricketer with glowing prospects ahead of him but, his selection over the other 2 still remains a bit tricky.
2. N Jagadeesan
India has limited wicketkeeping options in T20Is, but selectors could have chosen other players ahead of N Jagadeesan.
Jagadeesan’s white-ball performances have disappointed for some time, and critics often question his positive approach regardless of his batting position. “In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, I could not dominate good bowlers — there is a difference between me and middle-order batsmen like Kumar Kushagra and Salil Arora,” he admitted.
Some feel that Prabhsimran Singh deserved a chance before Jagadeesan, making Jagadeesan fortunate to earn his spot.
1. Urvil Patel
Urvil Patel made a strong statement for Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a brilliant unbeaten 119. However, apart from that standout innings, he contributed little overall despite opening the batting in the powerplay.
Urvil’s attacking style excites, but he still seeks the right balance and tempo. He has struggled with consistency and ranks behind several other wicketkeeping options in terms of overall performance.
