The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially unveiled the squads for the India A U19 and India B U19 teams set to compete in an upcoming U19 Triangular Series. The series, which will see Afghanistan U19 as the third participating team, is scheduled to commence on November 17 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.
Squad Selection and Notable Absences
The Junior Cricket Committee was responsible for the selection process for this tournament. In a significant development, teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi was not named in either the India A or India B U19 squads for this domestic series. The BCCI clarified this omission in an official release, stating, "Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not considered for selection as he is picked for the India A squad for the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup."
Suryavanshi has indeed been included in the Jitesh Sharma-led India A squad for the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup, which will be held in Doha. That tournament runs from November 14 to 23, where India A finds itself in Group B with Oman, UAE, and Pakistan A. Group A consists of Bangladesh A, Hong Kong, Afghanistan A, and Sri Lanka A.
Another promising young player, Ayush Mhatre, was also not selected for the U19 triangular series as he is currently engaged in the Ranji Trophy, India's premier domestic first-class cricket competition.
Tournament Structure and Leadership
The U19 Triangular Series will kick off on November 17 with a match between IND U19 A and IND U19 B. The competition will culminate with the final on November 30. All matches will be hosted at the BCCI COE in Bengaluru.
Leadership duties for the two squads have been assigned to promising young talents. The India U19 A squad will be captained by Vihaan Malhotra from the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), with Abhigyan Kundu from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) serving as the vice-captain and wicketkeeper.
Conversely, the India U19 B squad will be led by captain Aaron George from the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HYD CA), with Vedant Trivedi from the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) as his vice-captain.
Complete Squad Lists
India U19 A Squad for Triangular Series:
Vihaan Malhotra (C) (PCA), Abhigyan Kundu (VC & WK) (MCA), Wafi Kachchhi (HYD CA), Vansh Acharya (SCA), Vineeth V.K (TNCA), Lakshya Raichandani (CAU), A. Rapole (WK) (HYD CA), Kanishk Chouhan (HAR), Khilan A Patel (GCA), Anmoljeet Singh (PCA), Mohamed Enaan (KCA), Henil Patel (GCA), Ashutosh Mahida (BCA), Aditya Rawat (CAU), Mohammed Malik (HYD CA).
India U19 B Squad for Triangular Series:
Aaron George (C) (HYD CA), Vedant Trivedi (VC) (GCA), Yuvraj Gohil (SCA), Maulyarajsinh Chavda (GCA), Rahul Kumar (PCA), Harvansh Singh (WK) (SCA), Anvay Dravid (WK) (KSCA), R.S. Ambrish (TNCA), B.K. Kishore (TNCA), Naman Pushpak (MCA), Hemchudeshan J (TNCA), Udhav Mohan (DDCA), Ishan Sood (PCA), D Deepesh (TNCA), Rohit Kumar Das (CAB).
