Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to lead India U19 team in Benoni
Tour precedes 2026 ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup
India will begin WC campaign against the USA on 15 January
The India Under-19 squad for the 2026 ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup, as well as the upcoming three-match one-day series against South Africa was announced on Saturday (December 27, 2025). With regular captain Ayush Mhatre and vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra out injured, the prodigious Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named captain for the Proteas tour.
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) release stated that Mhatre and Malhotra have sustained wrist injuries, and will miss the South Africa tour. The duo will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management of their injuries and will join the team for the Under-19 World Cup.
The upcoming edition of the U19 World Cup will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6, 2026. It 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 (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022) have been placed in Group B alongside New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh.
India will begin their campaign against the USA on 15 January at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, followed by matches against Bangladesh on 17 January at the same venue and New Zealand on 24 January.
But before that, they embark on the tour of South Africa where all the three ODIs will be played at Benoni on January 3, 5 and 7. Aaron George will be the deputy to Sooryavanshi.
The 14-year-old Sooryavanshi has been in red-hot form with the bat in the recent past, and was conferred with the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday.
Just a few days back, Sooryavanshi slammed 190 runs off 84 deliveries, studded with 16 fours and 15 sixes, for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate group match in Ranchi. With that effort, he became the youngest male cricketer to score a century in List A cricket at just 14 years and 272 days. He reached the three-figure mark off just 36 balls.
Earlier in the year, the teenager became the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket when he smashed 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans an IPL game in Jaipur. His hundred, which came off 35 deliveries, was the second-fastest in IPL history.
India’s Squad For SA 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 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), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan
