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ToggleThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declared the 15-member strong squad for the upcoming under-19 Asia Cup 2024, which will take place from November 30 to December 08 in the United Arab Emirates. The most surprising pick by the selection committee in the squad of the Blue Brigade for the upcoming 50-over event has been the 13-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Bihar.
With considerable domestic cricket experience under the wings, India has prepared itself with a power-packed and balanced squad for the competition. Vaibhav has already played two youth Test matches, both of which were against Australia in Chennai earlier this year, as he hit a 58-ball hundred in a red-ball clash in that series.
The leader of the side is Mohammad Aman, who will have the services of the upcoming star opening batter from Mumbai, Ayush Mhatre, who hit a century against Maharashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy in October. The player from Tamil Nadu, Andre Siddharth, and the all-rounder Kiran Chormale are among the other notable players.
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Aman, the leader of India, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is another vital member of the side. He also led India against Australia in September and scored two half-centuries in the three-match series in Puducherry. Kiran is the vice-captain of the side.
They also announced the four non-traveling reserves in the form of Sahil Parakh, Naman Pushpak, Anmoljeet Singh, Pranav Raghavendra, and D Dipesh.
India hands Vaibhav Sooryavanshi international exposure in U-19 Asia Cup 2024
The biggest news, however, is around Sooryavanshi. His journey began from the village of Tajpur in Samastipur, Bihar. He started his cricket at the age of just nine, with his father, Sanjeev Suryavanshi, who was an avid cricket enthusiast himself, guiding his initial steps in the game. His father aspired to play the game but couldn’t pursue it. This saw immense potential in his son and ensured that he would receive the best possible training.
By the time the batter of India was ten, he was already engaged in playing with the senior members of the side besides demonstrating impressive skills. He took part in the Cooch Behar Trophy 2023 for Bihar, where he smashed big runs, including 151 runs in just 128 deliveries against Jharkhand.
The performance of the batter in this tournament, along with his participation in the quadrangular series involving the U-19 ‘A’ side of India, the ‘B’ side of the country, and the two other under-19 teams of Bangladesh and England. This pushed him to get the reputation of a promising young cricketer.
At the international level, he has also broken so many records. In October 2024, at the age of just 13 years and 188 days, he became the youngest player to score an international century, achieving this feat during the India U-19 Youth Test match against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
He celebrated the century in just 58 deliveries, which was the second fastest in the u-19 red-ball encounters, only behind Moeen Ali, who clubbed the same feat in 56 balls in 2005.
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India will begin the campaign against Pakistan U-19 side in Dubai. Before that, they will also face Bangladesh in a practice game on November 26 in Sharjah.
India Squad For U-19 Asia Cup 2024
Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, C Andre Siddarth, Mohd. Amaan (C), Kiran Chormale (VC), Pranav Pant, Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Anurag Kawde (WK), Hardik Raj, Md. Enaan, KP Karthikeya, Samarth Nagaraj, Yudhajit Guha, Chetan Sharma, Nikhil Kumar.
Traveling Reserves
Sahil Parakh, Naman Pushpak, Anmoljeet Singh, Pranav Raghavendra, D Dipesh.