Ayush Mhatre appointed captain for India in U19 Asia Cup in a side that also includes Vaibhav Suryavanshi, with Vihaan Malhotra as deputy.
Ayush Mhatre to lead India at the Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai.
Ayush Mhatre, a batter from Mumbai, will captain the India Under-19 team at the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai starting on December 12. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, an aggressive opener, is part of the 15-man group that the BCCI announced for the competition. Mhatre’s deputy during the competition will be Vihaan Malhotra.
In contrast, Mhatre hasn’t been playing well lately. He was called up to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad after making an impression for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2025 Indian Premier League, with 240 runs at a strike rate of around 189 in seven games. However, his returns have been erratic ever since.
During the England tour, Mhatre scored just 27 runs in four one-day games, but in the two Youth Tests, he surged to the top with 340 runs. Following that, he scored 38 runs in the Youth Tests against Australia Under-19 and just 10 in three one-day matches while in Australia. During India’s domestic season, Mhatre has scored just 156 runs at an average of 26 in four first-class games, including one for India A against South Africa A. He scored eighteen against Railways in the subsequent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match.
India, Pakistan, and two qualifying teams are in Group A of the one-day ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and another qualifier are in Group B. On December 12, India will play one of the two qualifiers to start their campaign.
India squad for Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup
Ayush Mhatre (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vice-capt), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh*, Udhav Mohan, Aaron George.