The future for cricket in India seems bright with Ayush Mhatre being nominated as the captain for the 2026 ICC Under 19 World Cup. The event, which is scheduled to commence in January 2026, will be hosted in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Mhatre will be leading the India U19 cricket squad in what will certainly be an interesting experience for the youngsters.
Ayush Mhatre’s Role in the U-19 World Cup
The task of captaining India in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup has been handed to Ayush Mhatre, who is one to watch in international cricket. Mhatre, who is so gifted when it comes to leadership, cricketing expertise, and decision-making, hopes to lead India to victory in this major event. Mhatre has already demonstrated his leadership qualities by piloting India to the finals of the Under-19 Asia Cup in December 2025.
The team will be led by Arjun Mhatre, who will be accompanied by Vihaan Malhotra as his vice-captain. The two will be looking to take Indian cricket to new heights.
However, both Mhatre and Malhotra were nursing wrist injuries and will not be participating in India’s youth ODI series against South Africa. They will be rehabilitating at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru before joining the Indian team for the World Cup.
Suryavanshi Selected as Indian Team Captain in Bilateral Series Against South Africa
Before the World Cup, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has also been selected as the captain for the youth ODI series between India U-19 and South Africa U-19. The series will occur at Benoni, South Africa, featuring three matches scheduled for January 3, 5, and 7, 2026. Suryavanshi, who performed so well at the Under-19 Asia Cup, scoring a total of 261 runs from five innings, would hope to continue that form.
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India’s U-19 Squad for South Africa Tour & World Cup
The India U-19 side for the tour of South Africa has been announced, and Suryavanshi will be the skipper of the outfit. The players for the series in South Africa are:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (capt)
Aaron George (vc)
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Vedant Trivedi
Abhigyan Kundu (wk)
Harvansh Singh (wk)
RS Ambrish
Kanishk Chouhan
Khilan A Patel
Mohamed Enaan
Henil Patel
D Deepesh
Kishan Kumar Singh
Udhav Mohan
Yuvraj Gohil
Rahul Kumar
The squad announced for the 2026 Under 19 World Cup is as follows:
Ayush Mhatre (capt)
Vihaan Malhotra (vc)
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Aaron George
Vedant Trivedi
Abhigyan Kundu (wk)
Harvansh Singh (wk)
RS Ambrish
Kanishk Chouhan
Khilan A Patel
Mohamed Enaan
Henil Patel
D Deepesh
Kishan Kumar Singh
Udhav Mohan
Fixtures for 2026 Under-19 World Cup Groupings
India is in Group B, sharing the pool with New Zealand, USA, and Bangladesh, in the 2026 World Cup U-19. The schedule for them is:
Date: January 15, 2026
Event: India vs USA
January 17, 2026 – India vs Bangladesh (Bulawayo
24th Jan 2026 – India vs New Zealand, Bulawayo
The tournament will involve a total of 16 nations incorporated into groups of four. The tournament will be followed by a new round involving two groups of six. The semi-finals will be conducted between the leaders of both groups. The final tournament is expected to take place on February 6, 2026, at Harare.
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