Suryavanshi to Lead India U-19 on South Africa Tour Ahead of World Cup

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named captain of the India Under-19 team for their upcoming youth ODI tour of South Africa, which will serve as preparation for the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Ayush Mhatre will lead India at the Under-19 World Cup beginning on January 15, with Vihaan Malhotra appointed vice-captain. However, both Mhatre and Malhotra are currently nursing wrist injuries and will miss the bilateral series against South Africa Under-19. The duo will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehabilitation before linking up with the squad ahead of the World Cup.

India will play three youth ODIs against South Africa Under-19 in Benoni on January 3, 5 and 7. The tour will be led by Suryavanshi, who was one of India’s standout performers at the recently concluded Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai, where he scored 261 runs in five matches to finish as the team’s second-highest run-getter. Abhigyan Kundu, who topped the charts with 271 runs, has been included in both the South Africa tour and World Cup squads.

Suryavanshi has also been in prolific form at the senior domestic level. He is currently featuring in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and recently made a career-best 190 for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh, underlining his growing reputation as a top-order batter.

Mhatre, despite his injury setback, brings strong credentials into the World Cup, having led India to the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup earlier this month. Once fully fit, he is expected to resume leadership duties when the global tournament gets underway.

India have been placed in Group B at the Under-19 World Cup alongside New Zealand, Bangladesh and the USA. They will begin their campaign against the USA on January 15 in Bulawayo, followed by matches against Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24.

The tournament will feature 16 teams divided into four groups in the opening round. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage, where they will be split into two groups of six. The top two sides from each Super Six group will qualify for the semi-finals. The final is scheduled to be played on February 6 in Harare.

India Under-19 squad for South Africa tour:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (capt), 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, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar

India squad for 2026 Under-19 World Cup:
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