India U19 Vs South Africa U19 Highlights, 1st Youth ODI: Blue Colts Win Rain-Hit Match By 25 Runs (DLS Method)

Good afternoon, cricket fans! This is the start of our live blog covering the first Youth ODI of India U19’s tour of South Africa. Stay tuned for pre-match and toss updates as they are revealed.

• Fixture: India U19 vs South Africa U19, 1st Youth ODI

• Series: India U19's tour of South Africa, 2026

• Venue: Willowmoore Park, Benoni

• Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

• Time: 1:00 PM IST

• Live Streaming: JioHotstar

South Africa U19 won the toss and opted to bowl first. India U19's innings took a rough start as Aaron George was dismissed for just five runs after being caught by van Schalkwyk off Majola. Vedant Trivedi is the new battter, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the other end.

Big blow for India U19 as they lose Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the very first ball of the sixth over. The youngster is caught by Phahlamohlaka, bringing an end to an 11-run knock that included two boundaries. Abhigyan Kundu is the new batter, but he has made a slow start, with just five runs off 18 balls. The Boys in Blue are struggling at the end of the first Powerplay.

India U19's troubles have deepened, with two wickets falling in two overs. First, Abhigyan Kundu's innings came to an end at 21 as he was run out by Mbatha. Vedant Trivedi, the other set batter, falls five balls later for 21, being caught by James off Soni. Ambrish and Harvansh are at the crease now, trying to rebuild, but the run rate is around four-and-half.

Harvansh and Ambrish have brought some stability back, with both taking their time on what is a tricky pitch to bat. India U19's run rate has dropped below four-an-over at the moment, despite Pangalia hitting a six off Mbatha, but this partnership is vital for the Boys in Blue.

The partnership between Harvansh and Ambrish has been solid so far. Coming under immense pressure from the young Proteas, the India U19 batters have built up a partnership worth 67 runs. Despite having sub-70 strike rates, both are slowly working their way towards half-centuries.

The India U19 vs South Africa U19 live streaming on JioHotstar has been interrupted due to "technical issues", Star Sports announced on social media.

Fans can continue to watch the match live for free on Cricket South Africa's YouTube channel.

Brilliant rescue act going on from Harvansh and Ambrish, with the former stealing a double and reaching a well-deserved half-century off 59 balls. The partnership goes to 104 runs. Ambrish, meanwhile, is at 48 off 67. 15 overs remaining.

A superb switch hit from Harvansh, and it brings up the 200 runs for India U19. A terrific partnership from these two, worth 135 runs now. It's been a valiant resurgence, and the duo have set the stage for a possible late onslaught.

Today's batting saviour for India, Harvansh Pangalia has risen from adversity to get here. Hailing from Gandhidham in the Kutch region, where cricket infrastructure is sparse, Harvansh fought the odds from a young age. His father, Damandeep Singh, moved to Canada in 2017 for better opportunities, but Harvansh insisted on staying in India to chase his dream of playing cricket at the highest level.

Harvansh's resolve was matched by his family’s support. His father, who works long hours as a truck driver in Brampton, flies to India whenever possible to encourage his son during matches. Damandeep’s elder brother also played a crucial role, gifting Harvansh a bowling machine to compensate for the lack of practice facilities in their hometown.

The umpires take the players off the field with 16 balls of play left in the Indian innings. Lightning strike is the reason, and it's a precautionary measure. India are batting at 268 for 7 in 47.2 overs, with Khilan Patel (2 not out) and Mohamed Enaan (3 not out) at the crease. Harvansh Pangalia earlier fell for a game-changing 93.

We will keep you posted with further updates from the ground.

While we wait for play to resume in Benoni, here's an update from today's results thus far in the Vijay Hazare Trophy's fifth round:

• Delhi beat Services by eight wickets

• Uttarakhand beat Goa by seven wickets

• Punjab beat Sikkim by 10 wickets

• Maharashtra beat Mumbai by 128 runs

• Hyderabad beat Chandigarh by 136 runs

• Vidarbha beat Baroda by nine wickets

• Kerala beat Jharkhand by eight wickets

• Rajasthan beat Tamil Nadu by 10 runs

• Bihar beat Mizoram by five wickets

• Manipur beat Meghalaya by three wickets

• Nagaland beat Arunachal Pradesh by nine wickets

Play finally resumes in Benoni, and India score 32 runs off the remaining 16 balls in their innings, losing the three wickets they had in hand in the process. They end up getting to the 300-run mark, and it's a creditable effort overall. Let's see how the home team goes about its pursuit of this tricky target. The chase coming up shortly.

South Africa have made a confident start in response to India's 301-run target. Openers Jorich Van Schalkwyk and Adnaan Lagadien have both hit early boundaries, with the Indian new-ball bowlers — Deepesh Devendran in particular — guilty of straying off their lengths and lines. Still a lot of time to course-correct, however.

By captaining the India Under-19 side today, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has made history, becoming the youngest-ever skipper in a Youth ODI. Aged 14 years and 282 days, he has broken a long-standing record held by former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, set back in 2007. Only five players globally have captained their country in youth internationals before the age of 16.

Deepesh Devendran (2/33) and Khilan Patel (1/10) collectively dislodge three top-order South Africa batters, including skipper Muhammed Bulbulia (5) inside the first 10 overs. Opener Jorich Van Schalkwyk (35 not out) has held one end up, and Armaan Manack (8 not out) is giving him company. The required run rate is around 6.25, which is still manageable. It's all about the wickets at this juncture.

Jorich Van Schalkwyk (54 not out) gets to his fifty, and Armaan Manack (30 not out) continues to give him solid company as the Proteas go on resurrecting their innings. India would have started to worry, though they'd know that one wicket is all that is needed to regain momentum.

For the second time in the day, the threat of lightning has forced the umpires to take the players off the field. They take the decision immediately after Armaan Manack (46)'s dismissal, and given the turbulent weather in the region — the SA20 game in Johannesburg has been abandoned — we might not see play resume in a hurry.

Earlier today, the Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee named the 15-member India squad for the upcoming three-match one-day international series against New Zealand, starting in Vadodara on January 11.

Mohammed Siraj made a comeback to the ODI side, while Shreyas Iyer was named vice-captain, though included subject to fitness clearance. Jasprit Bumrah was rested, and Hardik Pandya was also not included in the team, as he was not cleared by the COE to bowl 10 overs in a match.

That's it. No more play is possible amid heavy rain in Benoni, which means India win by 25 runs via DLS method. The fourth wicket certainly ensured the Blue Colts stayed ahead in the PAR score race, and they thus take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Youth ODI series.