Ayush Mhatre has been appointed as India’s captain for the upcoming Men’s Under-19 World Cup, set to take place in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6.
However, both Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra, who has also been selected for the U19 World Cup squad, will miss the pre-tournament 50-over tour of South Africa scheduled from January 3-7 due to wrist injuries.
In Mhatre’s absence, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will lead the team during the tour, where all three matches will be held at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. Yuvraj Gohil and Rahul Kumar have been added to the squad selected by the Junior Men’s Selection Committee.
It has been reported that both Mhatre and Malhotra were in Mumbai for further evaluation of their wrist injuries, and their current status remains uncertain.
“The duo will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management of their injuries and will join the team for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup,” stated the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an official announcement.
Fast bowling all-rounder RS Ambrish and leg-spin bowling all-rounder Mohamed Enaan are set to return to the India U19 team, replacing Gohil and Naman Pushpak. The 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup will feature 16 teams organized into four groups, followed by a Super Six stage, semi-finals, and the final in Harare.
India, the five-time champions who have clinched the trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, and 2022, has been placed in Group A alongside New Zealand, the USA, and Bangladesh. India will kick off their campaign against the USA on January 15 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, followed by matches against Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24, both at the same venue.
India squad for ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026:
- Ayush Mhatre (C)
- Vihaan Malhotra (VC)
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- 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
India squad for South Africa tour:
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C)
- Aaron George (VC)
- 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
- Yuvraj Gohil
- Rahul Kumar