Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre To Captain India U19 In South Africa Tour And ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup 2026

Mumbai, December 27: The Junior Cricket Committee has announced that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre will captain the India Under-19 team in the upcoming South Africa Tour and ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 respectively. BCCI announced the teams on Saturday

India U19 will tour South Africa for a three-match One-Day series ahead of the World Cup. The matches will be played at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, on January 3, 5 and 7. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will captain the team on this tour, with Aaron George serving as vice-captain.

For the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, Ayush Mhatre has been appointed captain, while Vihaan Malhotra will be his deputy. However, both Mhatre and Malhotra will miss the South Africa tour after suffering wrist injuries. The two players will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further treatment and are expected to rejoin the squad in time for the World Cup.

The ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6. The tournament will feature 16 teams, divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals and the final in Harare.

Five-time champions India have been placed in Group B along with New Zealand, Bangladesh and the USA. India will begin their campaign against the USA on January 15 at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, followed by matches against Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24.

With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi leading the preparatory South Africa tour and Ayush Mhatre set to captain India at the World Cup, the focus will be on building momentum and settling combinations as India aim for yet another strong run at the Under-19 level.

Check Full Squad:

India U19 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

India U19 squad For ICC Men’s Under-19 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