By Admin 
The countdown for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 has started and the eyes of Indian fans are once again fixed on their youth team. The tournament will start from January 15, while the final match will be played on February 6. This time the Under-19 World Cup is being jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia. A total of 16 teams are participating in this tournament, which have been placed in four groups.
India’s challenge will start from the group stage
Indian Under-19 team has got a place in Group A. Along with India, teams like USA, Bangladesh and New Zealand are present in this group. Team India will play its first match on the very first day of the tournament. India will face USA on January 15. This match will be played in Bulawayo city of Zimbabwe and will start at 1 pm Indian time.
India will play three important matches in a row
After the first match, the Indian team will take the field against Bangladesh on 17 January. This match is considered very important not only in terms of points table but also for mental growth. After this, India will face New Zealand in its last league match on 24 January. All three matches will be held in Bulawayo only. The top two teams of the group will enter the next round.
Tough competition in the rest of the group too
Group B- Pakistan, England, Zimbabwe, Scotland
Group C- Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Japan
Group D- in South Africa, West Indies, Afghanistan, Tanzania
India’s dominance in Under-19 World Cup
The Indian Under-19 team has been the most successful team of this tournament so far. India has won this title a total of 5 times. Australia has been champion 4 times and is also the current winner. Last time India had to face defeat from Australia in the final, so this time Team India will have a golden opportunity to settle the scores.
Big expectations from Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi is being talked about the most in this tournament. His performance in practice matches has impressed both fans and experts. Vaibhav, who has been scoring runs continuously from domestic cricket to Under-19 level, will have special attention in this World Cup. If his bat works, India’s title dream can turn into reality.
Indian team: Ayush Mhatre (Captain), R.S. Ambareesh, Kanishk Chauhan, D. Deepesh, Mohammad Anan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Uddhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A. Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi.