Mhatre named India's captain for U19 World Cup

Ayush Mhatre has been named India's skipper for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup. Vihaan Malhotra, who was picked by RCB recently in the IPL Auction, has been named Mhatre's deputy in India's squads announced for the showpiece event and the tour of South Africa, on Saturday.

Both Mhatre and Malhotra will miss the South Africa tour having sustained wrist injuries. The duo will now report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence to manage their injuries and are expected to join the team directly for the World Cup.

In the absence of both the captain and vice-captain, India will be led by Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the three one-dayers to be played on January 3, 5 and 7 in South Africa. The series will serve as ideal preparation for the World Cup that is scheduled in Namibia and Zimbabwe.

India will open their campaign against the United States of America on January 15 in Bulawayo before taking on Bangladesh and New Zealand in the group phase. Having won the competition five times, India are the most successful team in the tournament's history.

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

Squad for U19 World Cup: 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