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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named captain, Mhatre out with injury as India name U19 squad for SA series

Kaushik Kashyap

Vaibhav Suryavanshi named India U19 captain. [Source - @bcci/x]Vaibhav Suryavanshi named India U19 captain. [Source - @bcci/x]

In a significant development, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is set to captain India U19 in the upcoming three-match one-day series against South Africa as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for South Africa tour and the ICC U19 World Cup on Saturday. 

The 14-year-old will lead the young Indian side in what will be a preparatory one-day series starting from January 3 in Benoni.

BCCI bets on Vaibhav Suryavanshi as India U19 captain ahead of World Cup

Vaibhav’s appointment as captain has grabbed attention, given his age and rapid rise in his young cricket career. The selectors have shown strong trust in the youngster, handing him leadership responsibility at an important stage ahead of the mega event.

The three-match one-day series is a preparation event ahead of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, which will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15. 

Regular captain Ayush Mhatre will miss the South Africa series due to a wrist injury. As a result, Vaibhav will step in to lead the team for the preparatory games. Mhatre is expected to recover in time for the World Cup and will captain India during the main tournament.

India Under-19 are coming off a loss in the Asia Cup final and will be keen to return to winning ways. The team will be looking to regain confidence and rhythm under Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s leadership before the marquee event.

With the World Cup fast approaching, the focus will be on how the young Indian side responds in South Africa. All eyes will be on Vaibhav as he begins his captaincy journey on the international U19 stage.

India’s 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

Further, Mhatre and Malhotra will head to the CoE to continue their rehab as they are a key figure of India's U-19 World Cup squad.