India aims to secure 6th title in U19 WC set to kick off on January 19
India aims to secure 6th title in U19 WC set to kick off on January 19
Indian Cricket Team (ANI)
CAPE TOWN: The 15th edition of the Under-19 World Cup is set to kick-start on January 19 in South Africa. India is placed in Group A along with Bangladesh, Ireland, and the United States of America.
India will play their opening game of the competition against Bangladesh on Saturday. They will play the second game against Ireland on January 25 and the last match of the group stage against the USA on January 28.
Two matches are set to be played on the opening day of the competition. Both the match will start at 1:30 PM IST. The hosts South Africa will lock horns against the West Indies, while in the second match, Ireland will play against the US.
A total of 16 participating teams have been divided into four groups. There will be 41 matches with the final to be played in February.
Group B features England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C consists of Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal make up Group D.
India are the defending champion and they have won the title five times. The Yash Dhull-led India had beaten England by four wickets in the last championship. Australia have won three times, Pakistan twice, while England, Bangladesh, West Indies and 2024 hosts South Africa have each been crowned once.
Batter Uday Saharan will lead the 'Men in Blue' in the upcoming tournament. All-rounder, Arshin Kulkarni is one of the players to watch out for in this Under-19 World Cup.
Musheer Khan, who bats in the middle order and bowls left-arm spin, is the only player with first-class experience among the 15-man group. Musheer scored 127 runs off 47 balls and took two wickets in a quadrangular U-19 series match in November featuring Bangladesh, England and India B, and he finished third in the Under-19 Challenger Trophy with 268 runs at a strike rate of 108.
India squad: Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (C), Aravelly Avanish Rao (WK), Saumy Kumar Pandey (VC), Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan (WK), Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani and Naman Tiwari.