Rajat Patidar has withdrawn from India A's squad for the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup, and the BCCI has named Ayush Badoni as his replacement. Patidar told the board that he should not be considered for selection in the 50-over format while he manages existing injuries.
The Men's Selection Committee has also named Rinku Singh as vice-captain. Tilak Varma continues to lead India A in the tournament, which is scheduled to be played in Doha, Qatar, from November 19 to November 29.
Badoni, a Delhi batter, has been in strong form in domestic cricket. He hit back-to-back double centuries in the Ranji Trophy, against Gujarat and then Jharkhand, and has scored 559 runs from six innings, second on the tournament's run chart.
Patidar had been named in the original squad as vice-captain. He had played red-ball cricket this season, scoring two centuries in three Ranji Trophy games for Madhya Pradesh, and had earlier made two half-centuries in three 50-over games for India A against Australia A in October. A day before his withdrawal was announced, he had been named Madhya Pradesh's captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a T20 competition starting on November 14.
India A have been drawn in Group B with the United Arab Emirates, Nepal and Pakistan A. India A open against Nepal on November 20, meet Pakistan A on November 22 and play the UAE on November 24. The top two sides from each group progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for November 26 and 27, and the final is set for November 29.
The squad also includes T20 specialists such as Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh and Rinku Singh, along with first-class spinners Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey and Tanush Kotian. The tournament also marks the return of fast-bowling allrounder Harshit Rana, who has not played since July, when he was with the senior team on the tour of England. The BCCI statement did not say whether Patidar is also unavailable for future 50-over commitments.