Another big assignment coming up for the next generation talents of Indian cricket. Young explosive batters like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre again will be in action of team India. This time for the Under-19 Asia Cup title.
Ayush Mhatre as India U19 team captain
Mumbai batsman Ayush Mhatre will captain India Under-19 in the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, starting December 12 in Dubai. The BCCI has announced a 15-member squad for the tournament, which also includes aggressive opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Vihaan Malhotra will be Mhatre’s deputy in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Mhatre hasn’t been in good form recently. He impressed for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, where he was called up as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad. He scored 240 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of around 189. However, since then, he hasn’t been consistent in his returns.
On the England tour, Mhatre scored just 27 runs in four ODIs but was the top scorer in two Youth Tests with 340 runs. Then in Australia, he scored just 10 runs in three ODIs, and 38 runs in the Youth Test against Australia Under-19. In four first-class matches during India’s domestic season, including one for India A against South Africa A, Mhatre scored just 156 runs at an average of 26. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match, he scored 18 runs against Railways.
In the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, which will be played in the one-day format, India are in Group A along with Pakistan and two qualifying teams, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and another qualifier are in Group B. India will begin their campaign on December 12 against one of the two qualifiers.
India Squad for Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup:
Ayush Mhatre (captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vice-captain), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wicketkeeper), Harvansh Singh (wicketkeeper), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chauhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Dipesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh*, Uddhav Mohan, Aaron George.