U-19 World Cup: Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Suryavanshi in India's squad
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for the Under-19 World Cup 2026. The tournament will take place in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6. India, a five-time champion, has been placed in Group B with New Zealand, USA, and Bangladesh. The team will be led by Ayush Mhatre with Vihaan Malhotra as vice-captain. Here's more.
Team composition
India's campaign and squad for U-19 World Cup
India's first match in the tournament will be against USA on January 15 at Bulawayo. This will be followed by matches against Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24. India squad for Under-19 World Cup: Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.
Upcoming matches
Pre-tournament series and injury updates
Before the World Cup, India's U-19 team will play a three-match ODI series against South Africa. Suryavanshi will captain this series as Mhatre and Malhotra are out due to injuries. They will report to BCCI's Centre of Excellence for further treatment and join the team for ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup. The tournament will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, followed by Super Sixes, semi-finals, and finals in Harare.
Duo
Mhatre shone in SMAT 2025; Suryavanshi made history recently
Mhatre shone for Mumbai in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. He played 6 games and scored 325 runs at an average of 108.33. He smashed two tons and a fifty. On the other hand, Suryavanshi smashed entered record books in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Plate match between Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh saw him smash the fastest 150 in Men's List A cricket. He ended up hammering 190 runs from 84 balls, including a 36-ball ton.