Vaibhav Suryavanshi Replaces Ayush Mhatre to Become India U19 Captain

As the U19 World Cup is over the horizon, India's junior team has started the preparation for the event. Before the mega event, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has revealed the India U19 team for the forthcoming U19 World Cup and the South Africa series.

The SA series will feature three matches as the young stars from both countries take on each other. Before the series, India Under-19 cricket team has suffered a big setback as Ayush Mhatre will not play in the forthcoming South Africa series due to a wrist injury. A 14-year-old who serves as vice-captain of the white-ball team has been elevated to leadership position for this series. Due to a wrist injury, Vihaan Malhotra will also miss the South Africa tour. Before returning to the team for the ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup, Malhotra and Mhatre will both report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further injury treatment.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi Replaces Ayush Mhatre as India U19 Captain

In Mhatre's absence, the rising star Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be leading the team in India U19 tour of South Africa with Aaron George as the vice-captain. Vihaan Malhotra is the vice-captain of the team but he is also unavailable due to injury. Both Mhatre and Vihaan will report to the BCCI's COE to regain full fitness ahead of the ICC Under-19 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in fine form and will aim to maintain the form in the series. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Suryavanshi broke records by hitting the second-fastest List A century by an Indian, making headlines. He also became the youngest player to score a List A hundred during this knock. Vaibhav Suryavanshi India U19 captain records aren't tested as he is yet to lead the team at this level. But it will be a great learning curve for him to lead the team during SA U19 vs IND U19 series.

Following his outstanding junior cricket accomplishments, Suryavanshi was recently named Bihar's vice-captain for the first two rounds of the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season. His performances show his credentials to become one of the best openers in the world in future.

India U19 Squad for South Africa Tour

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar

The Rise of Vaibhav Suryavanshi

In 12 youth ODIs in 2025, Suryavanshi has amassed 690 runs, including two hundreds and two fifties. The 14-year-old opened the U19 Asia Cup with a commanding 171 against the United Arab Emirates. But as the competition went on, he struggled to maintain consistency, and India ultimately placed second after losing to Pakistan in the final match.

Vaibhav also beat AB de Villiers' record for the quickest 150 in List A cricket by 10 deliveries during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. With 15 sixes, he has the most of any Indian in the format. Earlier this year, while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, the teenager already attracted nations attention. Against the Gujarat Titans, he scored the quickest century by an Indian in IPL history and in just 35 balls. He is also placed second on the list of fastest centuries in IPL. Since then Suryavanshi, has became a household name in India.