Why Udhav Mohan is Not Playing Today in IND vs PAK Super Sixes U19 World Cup 2026?

India and Pakistan, the two arch-rivals of world cricket, will face each other on February 1 when their U19 teams clash in the Super Six match of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026. The men in blue are unbeaten in the tournament and have a great chance of carrying that form and confidence into the semi-finals. The winner of this game will proceed towards the knockout stage; hence, this can be considered a virtual quarterfinal match.

India has made only one change to their playing 11 today, where Udhav Mohan misses out.

Why Udhav Mohan is Not Playing Today Against Pakistan?

Indian U19 bowler Udhav Mohan has been left out of this crucial encounter against Pakistan U19. Captain Ayush Mhatre mentioned during the toss that Deepesh Devendran is Udhav Mohan replacement for this game. No specific reason has been given for this change, but it is most likely due to the team combination. Deepesh is in great form and has performed well in the previous matches. While this is an important game for India, Pakistan will be under pressure, having won only two out of three games so far.

The Ayush Mhatre-led Indian side has won all three of their matches and boasts a strong NRR of +3.337. For Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals, they will need to beat India by a significant margin. With Deepesh coming into the playing XI, India’s bowling attack looks even stronger. In just two World Cup games, he has already picked up two wickets, adding depth to the attack.

Udhav Mohan's Super Sixes Heroics

Udhav Mohan has become a key player of the Indian youth team in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup. In the important Super Sixes round, his fast bowling was too much for the Zimbabwe batters to handle. He showed great control temprament and took wickets at regular intervals, helping India stay unbeaten in the tournament.
In his last match against Zimbabwe, Udhav had a stellar performance. He finished with a brilliant figure of 3 wickets for only 20 runs in his 6.4 overs bowling spell. He was very hard to score against, keeping a low economy rate of 3.00. Udhav took the vital wicket of Zimbabwe’s top scorer and then quickly cleaned up the remaining batters. His performance helped bowl out Zimbabwe for just 148 runs, leading one of the best cricket teams in the world, India, to a huge 204-run win. This performance proves why he is one of the most dangerous young bowlers in the world right now.