New Delhi: Mohammad Amaan has been named as India’s captain for the upcoming 50-over Men’s U19 Asia Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 29 to December 8. Amaan had previously captained India in the youth ODIs against Australia at Puducherry in September.
The 13-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 104 off 62 balls in the Youth Test against Australia in Chennai, and set a new record for being the youngest player to score an international century, finds a place in the squad.
Batting all-rounder Kiran Chormale will be the vice-captain, while Harvansh Singh Pangalia, who made 117 in the second youth Test against Australia, is the designated wicketkeeper alongside Anurag Kawde. Mohammad Enaan, who was India’s leading wicket-taker in youth Tests and ODIs against Australia, too finds a place.
Apart from Suryavanshi, who plays for Bihar in domestic cricket and became the youngest Ranji Trophy debutant at 12, Tamil Nadu batter C. Andre Siddarth also brings some senior cricket experience into the team. Right-handed batter Andre made his Ranji Trophy debut in the season opening game against Saurashtra, after putting in stellar performances in the Cooch Behar Trophy.
Incidentally, Andre is the nephew of S. Sharath, the former Tamil Nadu player who is currently a part of the India senior men’s selection committee. The 17-year-old Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre, who hit his maiden first-class century in the Ranji Trophy game against Maharashtra, is also included in the team.
India is the most successful side of the competition, having won the tournament eight times. They are placed in Group A, which also features Pakistan, Japan, and hosts UAE U19 teams. Group B, on the other hand, is formed by Afghanistan, defending champion Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka U19 teams. Ahead of the tournament, BCCI said India U19 will take on Bangladesh U19 in a practice match in Sharjah on November 26.
India will begin their campaign by facing Pakistan on November 30 in Dubai, followed by taking on Japan and UAE on November 2 and 4 respectively in Sharjah. The top two teams from Group A and B will take on each other in the semifinals on December 6 in Dubai and Sharjah, with the final taking place on December 8 in Dubai.
India squad: Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, C Andre Siddarth, Mohd. Amaan (c), Kiran Chormale (VC), Pranav Pant, Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Anurag Kawde (wk), Hardik Raj, Md. Enaan, KP Karthikeya, Samarth Nagaraj, Yudhajit Guha, Chetan Sharma, Nikhil Kumar
Non-travelling reserves: Sahil Parakh, Naman Pushpak, Anmoljeet Singh, Pranav Raghavendra, D Dipesh
–IANS
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