Asia Cup Squad: Sehwag and Dravid Sons Earn U19 Spots
India have announced their Under-19 squad for the ACC Men's Asia Cup, which will be played in Muscat from November 5 to 14. Lakshya Raichandani will captain the side, with Yashvardhan Singh Chauhan as his deputy. The selection was decided by the BCCI junior cricket committee, chaired by Parvinder Awana, who was recently appointed to the role.
Among the 15 selected players are Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid, sons of two of India's most recognised cricketers. Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid both represented the senior national team, with Dravid later serving as head coach. Rajat Baghel has been included as the second wicketkeeper.
Anvay's form in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy was a major factor in his selection. Playing for Karnataka, he accumulated 358 runs across five innings, which included one half-century and two centuries. Aaryavir made his own mark with a 143-ball innings of 173 for Delhi against Chandigarh. On the bowling front, Ishan Sood took 13 wickets in eight matches, averaging 23.
India will face Nepal, Pakistan and the UAE in Group A, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Malaysia are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the November 12 semifinals. The final is set for Saturday, November 14.
The campaign begins on November 6 against Nepal at OCC Turf 1. India will then meet Pakistan on November 8 at the same venue, and conclude the group stage against the UAE on November 10.
India's senior team enjoyed a successful October, winning both the ODI series (3-0) and the Test series (2-0) against Australia in Rajkot and Ahmedabad. In the youth format, India have won the Under-19 Men's Asia Cup a record eight times. Their most recent appearance ended in a runners-up finish after a 191-run defeat to Pakistan in the final.
India U19 squad: Lakshya Raichandani (captain), Yashvardhan Singh Chauhan (vice-captain), Aaryavir Sehwag, V.K. Vineeth, Kushagra Ojha, Arjun Rajput, Manal Chauhan, Anvay Dravid (wicketkeeper), Rajat Baghel (wicketkeeper), V. Yashvir, Aryan Sawsani, Mohit Ulva, Kavya Patel, Shavin Vinod and Ishan Sood.