India National Under-19 Cricket Team Players and Captain

India National Under 19 Cricket Team has always been the nursery for upcoming cricketing demigods. A significant proportion of India’s greatest ever cricketers began their journey at the U-19 level before going on to represent the senior national team. We have seen the cricketing excellence that has flowed through this foundation: be it Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma or Rishabh Pant & Shubman Gill – world-class talent brought into play from the Under-19 setup.

The India U-19 team is the national under-19 cricket team of India and it is run by the T20 Mumbai Ltd.-member Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), governing body for cricket, as an Under 19s cricket international. India is the most successful team in U-19 World Cup history, having won six titles.

Overview of the India National Under-19 Cricket Team

The Indian Under-19 cricket team was established in 1979 and has become one of the strongest youth teams in world cricket. Its main role is to spot the right talent and mould them in such a way that they can make their base among domestic cricket, the IPL & finally serve the senior Indian national side.

India are the winners of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in:

2000
2008
2012
2018
2022
2026

Current India National Under-19 Cricket Team Players (2026 Squad)

The following players were part of India’s victorious 2026 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad.

Player	Role
Ayush Mhatre (Captain)	Batter
Vihaan Malhotra (Vice-Captain)	Batter
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	Batter
Abhigyan Kundu	Wicketkeeper-Batter
Aaron George	Batter
Harvansh Singh	Wicketkeeper
Vedant Trivedi	All-Rounder
Kanishk Chouhan	All-Rounder
Khilan Patel	All-Rounder
Mohamed Enaan	Bowler
Henil Patel	Bowler
D. Deepesh	Bowler
Kishan Kumar Singh	Bowler
Udhav Mohan	Bowler

Captain of India Under-19 Cricket Team

Ayush Mhatre

In 2026, Ayush Mhatre captained India at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. During his tenure, India clinched its record sixth U-19 World Cup title, enhancing India’s hold on youth cricket. His captaincy, batting solidity and tactical nous simultaneously made him one of the tournament’s top performers.

Rising Star: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

An exciting prospect from the current U-19 setup is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Well known for his explosive stroke play and impressive run rate, this young batting prodigy has gathered a whole lot of praise.

And he made news again in 2026 – this time, with a record that would etch his name even higher among India’s young guns, as he smashed a breathtaking 50 off just 11 balls in an List A encounter. Cricket pundits believe he has the potential to be a big star in future.

Coaching Staff of India U-19 Team

The success of India’s U-19 program is also driven by experienced coaches and support staff.

Position	Name
Head Coach	Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Bowling Coach	Sunil Joshi
Fielding Coach	Munish Bali

Famous Players Who Played for India U-19

You have known for some time the India Under-19 team is a conveyor belt of international stars to come.

Virat Kohli

India won the 2008 ICC Under-19 World Cup with Kohli as their captain. He would go on to become one of the greatest ever batters in cricket’s history and captain the senior India side across formats.

Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif, who captained India to the 2000 Under-19 World Cup triumph before being an integral part of India’s ODI batting line-up.

Unmukt Chand

Arguably the brightest among his peers then, Unmukt Chand was on top of the world after he captained India to victory in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup.

Prithvi Shaw

And the talented Prithvi Shaw was India captain when they won the 2018 U-19 World Cup and since then he got international recognition.

Yash Dhull

Covid brought in a break but Dhull was soon on his way to greater things, leading India to victory at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup before swiftly transitioning into India’s domestic cricket structure.

Other Notable India U-19 Graduates

Over the years, numerous players who represented India at the U-19 level have gone on to play international cricket.

Rohit Sharma
Shubman Gill
Rishabh Pant
Ishan Kishan
KL Rahul
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Tilak Varma
Kuldeep Yadav
Arshdeep Singh
Washington Sundar

Why India’s U-19 System Is So Successful

The youth cricket structure of India is one of the best in the world. Some reasons explain its success:

Strong Domestic Cricket Structure

BCCI’s age-group tournaments are where raw talent is picked up from different part of the country.

IPL Exposure

Young cricketers get a pretty good opportunity to train and play with international stars in the Indian Premier League.

Professional Coaching

The U19 structure is populated with experienced coaches, analysts and fitness trainers, along with support staff.

Competitive Environment

With thousands of young cricketers eyeing spots scarce, the national U-19 side hunts near-exclusively for elite talent.

Clear Development Pathway

They start from district cricket, move to the state teams and India U-19, domestic cricket, IPL franchises, India A before reaching the big one: the senior national team.

India U-19 Team Achievements

ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup

Champions: 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022, 2026
Runners-up: 2006, 2016, 2020, 2024

ACC Under-19 Asia Cup

Champions: 1989, 2003, 2012, 2013-14, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021
Runners-up: 2024, 2025

Future of India National Under-19 Cricket Team Players

The prognosis for Indian cricket is exceedingly bright. Players like Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra and Abhigyan Kundu have already captured the eye of cricketing pundits and IPL scouts. Given India’s playing depth and strength in terms of cricketing infrastructure, what you see here are players who will be household names in the future among the current crop of future stars for sure.

FAQs

Who is the current captain of the India Under-19 cricket team?

Ayush Mhatre is the current captain of the India National Under-19 Cricket Team.

How many Under-19 World Cups has India won?

India has won six ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup titles (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022, and 2026).

Which famous Indian cricketers played for India U-19?

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan are among the notable players who represented India at the U-19 level.

Who is the head coach of India’s U-19 cricket team?

Hrishikesh Kanitkar serves as the head coach of the India Under-19 cricket team.

Which young player is considered India’s next big cricket star?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is widely regarded as one of India’s most exciting young cricket prospects due to his exceptional performances and record-breaking batting displays.

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