Young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named the skipper of the India U19 team for the ODI series against South Africa. The matches will be played from January 3 to 7 at Willowmoore Park. Suryavanshi will lead the team in the absence of Ayush Mhatre, with Aaron Charge being named as vice-captain.

The announcement was made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while revealing the squads for the ODI assignment against South Africa and the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup. Suryavanshi has been unstoppable with the bat since scoring a 35-ball hundred for the Rajasthan Royals against the Gujarat Titans in the 2025 India Premier League.

Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra are injured and will miss the games against the Proteas. They will head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for treatment and rehabilitation before the Under-19 World Cup.

Suryavanshi recently slammed the second-fastest List A century by an Indian batter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Representing Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh, he completed 100 runs in just 36 deliveries, only behind Anmolpreet Singh, who recorded a 35-ball ton for Punjab in 2024. Suryavanshi accumulated 190 off 84 balls, laced with 16 boundaries and 15 sixes, helping Bihar in securing a 397-run victory.

Suryavanshi was also appointed Bihar’s vice-captain for the first two matches of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. The Bihar Cricket Association rewarded the batter for his performances. Sakibul Gani was given the captain’s arm band, with Suryavanshi expected to play a big role in the domestic tournaments.

India U19 squad for South Africa Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar.