U-19 World Cup: India will start its campaign against America in search of victory, becoming the winner five times in the 16 matches played so far.

Call: The Indian team, adorned with many young stars, would like to make a great start to its campaign here on Thursday by registering a big win against the relatively weak US team to win the sixth title in the Under-19 World Cup. India has been the winner five times in the 16 Under-19 World Cups played so far. This tournament was started in 1988 and Australia had the distinction of becoming the first champion.

Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steve Smith caught the attention of cricket lovers through this tournament and later established themselves as legends of the game.

India’s current Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill also made headlines for the first time with his stellar performance in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, which the team won under the leadership of Prithvi Shaw. Shaw had made a great start to his international career but his performance has waned in recent years.

In the past the competition has also served as a stepping stone for players such as Brian Lara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Inzamam Ul Haq, Graeme Smith, Michael Clarke, Hashim Amla and Alastair Cook, who all went on to become legends of the game. Apart from 2018, India has won the trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2022. He lost to Australia in the final in 2024 but this time he is a strong contender for the title. The Indian team looks balanced and strong on paper. By winning 13 out of the last 16 matches, the team has proved that it knows how to win. Meanwhile it won series in England, Australia and South Africa.

This means that the team knows how to win even in foreign conditions. The Indian challenge will be led by the talented Vaibhav Suryavanshi, captain Ayush Mhatre, vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra and top-order batsman Aaron George. George was India’s top scorer with 228 runs in the Under-19 Asia Cup, where arch-rivals Pakistan stunned them in the final.

Although Mhatre’s form has been a matter of concern in recent times, the team also includes Abhigyan Kundu, who has performed extremely well recently. At the age of just 14, Suryavanshi is already one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the world with his explosive batting.

He first made headlines in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League by scoring a century in 35 balls. The talented Suryavanshi seems destined to become a star, but there are other players in this Indian team who are seen as future stars and who will carry forward the legacy of players like Kohli, Rohit and Gill.

Mhatre and Malhotra, who were out of the three-match ODI series against South Africa due to injuries before the tournament, have returned to the team, which has strengthened India’s batting. As far as fast bowling is concerned, fast bowler Deepesh Devendran can prove to be the X-factor for the team. His unique action can play an important role in his success. RS Ambareesh also bowls at good pace and has the ability to make useful contributions with the bat as well. Kishan Singh and Henil Patel are the other two fast bowlers of the team. India had to face defeat by England by 20 runs in the practice match before this tournament but it would not like to give much importance to it. It seems highly unlikely that the Utkarsh Srivastava-led US team will pose any serious threat to the strong Indian team.

India has been placed in Group B along with New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh. After the match against America, India will play matches against Bangladesh on 17 January and New Zealand on 24 January. Zimbabwe and Namibia are jointly hosting the 16-team tournament, which also includes teams like Tanzania and Japan. Tanzania will be playing in a global tournament for the first time while Japan will be playing in its second Under-19 World Cup.

The teams are as follows:

India: Ayush Mhatre (captain), RS Ambareesh, Kanishk Chauhan, D Deepesh, Mohammed Enan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Udhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi.

America: Utkarsh Srivastava (captain), Adneet Jhamb, Shiv Shani, Nitish Sudini, Advait Krishna, Sahir Bhatia, Arjun Mahesh, Amarinder Gill, Sabrish Prasad, Adit Kappa, Sahil Garg, Amogh Reddy Arepalli, Rithvik Appidi, Ryan Taj, Rishabh Shimpi.