India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre will miss the upcoming tour of South Africa after sustaining a wrist injury, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday. The young batter, who was named captain for the upcoming ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, has been ruled out of the preparatory tour as part of a precautionary medical decision.
According to the official BCCI release, Mhatre and vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra have both suffered wrist injuries and will not travel with the rest of the squad to South Africa. The duo will instead report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence, where they will undergo further assessment and rehabilitation under the supervision of the board’s medical team.
“The two players will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management of their injuries and will join the team ahead of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup,” the board said in its statement.
Leadership Change for the Tour
With Mhatre unavailable, the BCCI has appointed Vaibhav Suryavanshi as the stand-in captain for the South Africa tour, while Aaron George will serve as his deputy. The tour will feature 3 of the youth ODIs aimed at giving the squad competitive exposure ahead of the Under-19 World Cup.
The South Africa tour kicks off on January 3
It is interesting to note that the India U19 side will kick off their South Africa tour by taking on the side across three youth ODI matches. The games will be held on January 3, 5, and 7 at Willowmoore Park. After the South Africa series, the Indian team will prepare itself for the U19 World Cup. The marquee tournament will begin on January 15, with the final of the event slated to be held on February 6.
Squads:
India’s squad for SA tour: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar.
India U19 squad for ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vihaan Malhotra (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan
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