Ayush Mhatre Named India U19 Captain for World Cup 2026, Vaibhav Suryavanshi to Lead SA ODI Series

Yesterday, Indian team selectors declared players for participation in the upcoming ‘Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup in 2026’. Team India's captain and vice-captain will be Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra, respectively, and players in the team include Abhigyan Kundu, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kumar Singh, and Kanishk Chauhan, who all played in ‘Under-19 Asia Cup’.

Ahead of the World Cup, the Indian Under-19 team will play a three-match Youth ODI series on their tour of South Africa, for which the squad has also been announced. However, a major change has been made to the team for this series. Ayush Mhatre has been rested and Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been given the captaincy. The first match of the series will be played in Benani on January 3rd. The second match will be played at the same venue on January 5th, and the third on January 7th.

India's U19 squad for the ODI series: Vaibhav Suryavanshi (captain), Aaron George (vice-captain), Rahul Kumar, Kishan Kumar Singh, Mohammad Inan, Dipesh, Ambrish, Khilan Patel, Vedant Trivedi, Harbans Singh, Abhigyan Kundu, Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chauhan, Henil Patel, and Uddhav Mohan.

It should be noted that the Indian Under-19 team previously participated in the Asia Cup in the ODI format, where they reached the final. Prior to the final, the Indian team had not lost a match, but lost to Pakistan in the final. Now, the Young India team will embark on their tour of South Africa with the intention of achieving victory, so that they can participate in the World Cup 2026 with increased morale.

The U19 World Cup will also be played in the ODI format, where 16 teams will participate. Team India has been placed in Group A along with New Zealand, Bangladesh, and the USA. Team India will play their first match on January 15th, where they will face the USA. After this, they will face Bangladesh on January 17th and New Zealand on January 24th.