On Tuesday, the BCCI declared the Indian team for the ICC Under-19 World Cup and also for the tri-series which involves England and South Africa. Young player Uday Saharan has been given leadership duties and he will look to defend the title that they won two years ago in West Indies. The Madhya Pradesh-based player Saumy Kumar Pandey has been named as the vice-captain.
The tri-series will begin on 29 December and the final will be taking place on 10 January 2024. The 2024 U19 World Cup is set to take place on 19 January, with India playing against Bangladesh in their campaign opener in Bloemfontein. The next two group games are against Ireland (25 January) and USA (28 January) while the 2024 U19 World Cup final will be played in Benoni on 11 February.
Talking about the groups, India will be joined by Bangladesh, Ireland, and the USA in Group A while Group B will see England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland. Group C involves Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The likes of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Nepal have been added to Group D.
The Indian team have also added three travelling reserves for the tri-series with the likes of Prem Devkar, Ansh Gosai, and Mohammad Amaan while there are four players as back-ups for the World Cup squad. Team India is the most successful team in the history of the U-19 World Cup as they have won five titles so far. Earlier, in the last edition of the mega event, Yash Dhull-led India outplayed England in 2022 to lift their fifth title.
India Squad: Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (C), Aravelly Avanish Rao (WK), Saumy Kumar Pandey (VC), Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan (WK), Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari.
Travelling Stand-by Players for Tri-Series: Prem Devkar, Ansh Gosai, Md. Amaan.
Back-up players: Digvijay Patil (Maharashtra Cricket Association), Jayanth Goyat (Haryana Cricket Association), P Vignesh (Tamil Nadu Cricket Association), Kiran Chormale (Maharashtra Cricket Association).