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MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 15-member squad for the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in Dubai from December 12.
Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre has been named captain, with Vihaan Malhotra appointed as his deputy.
Mhatre, who starred for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 with 240 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of nearly 189, has struggled for consistency in recent outings.
On India’s tours of England and Australia, he had mixed returns, managing only 27 runs in four one-dayers in England and 10 runs in three one-day matches in Australia.
However, he bounced back in Youth Tests, scoring 340 runs in two matches in England and 38 runs in Australia.
The squad also features 14-year-old aggressive opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who impressed in the Asia Cup Rising Stars with 239 runs at an average of 59.75 and a strike rate of 243.87, including a century.
His performance in Dubai will mark his second Under-19 Asia Cup appearance.
Wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu is expected to play a pivotal role behind the stumps, having scored 158 runs in two outings for India-A against Australia-A at a strike rate of 114.49.
India’s bowling attack will be led by Henil Patel and Khilan Patel, while Kishan Kumar Singh is included, subject to fitness clearance.
Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore and Aditya Rawat have been named as standby players.
India has been drawn in Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan and two qualifying teams.
Their campaign opens on December 12 against one of the qualifiers, with the highly anticipated clash against Pakistan set for December 14, followed by the final group match on December 16.
Group B consists of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and another qualifier.
The tournament will be played in the one-day format, allowing the young Indian side to fine-tune their skills ahead of future international challenges.
India Under-19 Squad for ACC Men’s Asia Cup
Ayush Mhatre (c), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vice-capt), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan and Aaron George.
Standby Players: Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore and Aditya Rawat.
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