He will lead the team in the Under-19 World Cup.
India are playing South Africa in a Youth ODI series as part of their final preparations for the Under-19 World Cup. One of the notable absentees from the playing XI is Ayush Mhatre, who has been ruled out of the series.
Skipper Ayush Mhatre will miss the series after suffering a wrist injury. He is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further treatment and rehabilitation. He is expected to recover before the World Cup and will rejoin the squad as the tournament begins on January 15. Along with him, vice captain Vihaan Malhotra is also unavailable for the series due to a wrist injury. Vaibhav Suryavanshi will lead the team as captain for this series.
The news from the center is that South Africa U19 have won the toss and elected to bowl first.
South Africa U19 (Playing XI): Jorich Van Schalkwyk, Adnaan Lagadien, Muhammed Bulbulia(c), Jason Rowles, Armaan Manack, Paul James, Bandile Mbatha, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka(w), JJ Basson, Bayanda Majola, Ntando Soni
India U19 (Playing XI): Aaron Varghese, Vaibhav Suryavanshi(c), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu(w), Harvansh Pangalia, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Mohamed Enaan, Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Henil Patel.
The series between South Africa U19 and India U19 consists of three matches, with all games to be played at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.
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The year 2025 went well for Ayush Mhatre. He made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings and scored 240 runs in seven innings. He has been retained by CSK for the IPL 2026 season. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 325 runs in six innings at an average of 108.33 and a strike rate of 166.66, including two centuries. However, he did not have a strong Under-19 Asia Cup, where he managed only 65 runs in five innings. Mhatre led India to the final of the tournament, but the team lost to Pakistan in the final.
India will be hoping that Mhatre performs well in the upcoming Under-19 World Cup which will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia, as he and Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be two crucial players for India at the top of the order, and the team will be hoping both of them to fire.
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