The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) It has announced the Indian Under-19 squads for two major upcoming assignments – U19 South Africa tour and U19 World Cup 2026. 14 year old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi The captain and regular captain of the three-match ODI series in South Africa from January 3 Ayush Mhatre He is expected to retain the captaincy of the U-19 World Championship, which will begin on January 15. It should be noted that the multi-team competition will be jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi will lead the Indian U19 team on the tour of South Africa
In a move that highlights his meteoric rise, Suryavanshi will lead the Indian side during the short warm-up tour of South Africa. At just 14 years old, Suryavanshi becomes the youngest player to captain India at this level. The Bihar native, who was recently honored with the Bal Puruskar Award, was in towering form. He recently became the youngest centurion in the history of List A cricket and ended 2025 as India’s leading run-scorer in Youth ODIs. is to join the leadership team for the tour of South Africa Aaron Georgewill act as vice-captain.
The South Africa tour is seen as an important warm-up, offering young players exposure to overseas conditions and competitive cricket ahead of the global tournament at the end of the month.
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Ayush Mhatre has been named India’s captain for the U19 World Cup 2026
Mhatre (captain) and the regular leadership duo I hate Malhotra (vice-captain) is expected to return for the U19 World Cup 2026. Wrist injuries to both players forced them to miss the tour of South Africa. The BCCI medical team took a cautious approach by referring the pair to the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehabilitation.
The U19 tournament will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals and final in Harare. Five-time champions India have been drawn in Group B along with New Zealand, Bangladesh and USA. The boys in blue will begin their campaign against the USA on January 15 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
India squad for South Africa tour: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (c), Aaron George (vc), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhaajv Gohil, Rahul Kumar
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), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, Kishan Deeee, D. Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.
Also READ: Australia has announced a strong squad for the U19 World Cup 2026, led by Oliver Peak
