Rising Stars Asia Cup: Eyes on Vaibhav Suryavanshi as India A faces Pakistan – Sportstar

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Updated : Nov 15, 2025 11:48 IST , Doha – 2 MINS READ
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File photo: Vaibhav Suryavanshi recorded the joint-second-fastest T20 hundred by an Indian batter during the Rising Stars Asia Cup match against UAE on Friday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi will look to keep the entire Pakistan Shaheens attack on edge as India A, led by Jitesh Sharma, continues to follow the BCCI’s ‘No Handshake’ policy against the arch-rival in the Rising Stars Asia Cup T20 match here on Sunday.
During the Asia Cup in September, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands with Salman Ali Agha to show solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. Jitesh Sharma, who was the second wicketkeeper in that tournament and now leads India A, is expected to follow that precedent and avoid shaking hands with Shaheens captain Irfan Khan at the toss or after the match.
The main attraction, however, will be Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old who stunned world cricket last season with a blistering IPL hundred for Rajasthan Royals. He hammered 144 off 52 balls with 15 sixes against UAE and became the youngest Indian to score a century in senior international representative cricket.
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India A head coach Sunil Joshi has already cautioned that the Shaheens attack will pose a far sterner test than UAE, whose second-string side lacks depth.
For Pakistan, the primary threat comes from right-arm pacer Ubaid Shah, younger brother of senior quick Naseem Shah.
As a T20 tournament, the event naturally features young IPL performers in the India A squad, while the Pakistan Shaheens group is largely built around PSL regulars.
Only two players in the India A side, skipper Jitesh and all-rounder Ramandeep Singh, have played T20Is for India. Still, the likes of Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, and Naman Dhir are proven IPL performers who give the team real heft.
For the Shaheens, skipper Irfan has nine ODIs to his name but little success so far.
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Published on Nov 15, 2025
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Vaibhav Suryavanshi /
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