Priyam Garg to lead Team India in U-19 World Cup
Uttar Pradesh's young batsman Priyam Garg is set to lead Team India in the ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in South Africa. Meanwhile, his UP teammate Dhruv Chand Jurel has been named his deputy in the 15-member squad. The U-19 World Cup will be held in January-February 2020. Here are further details of the same.
A look at Garg and his achievements
Garg led India's U-19 side during the tri-series in England in August this year. Under his leadership, the U-19 team emerged victorious in the tournament. He has played 12 First-Class matches that includes 867 runs at an average of 66.69. He has two hundreds and five fifties. Garg has also scored 539 runs in 15 List A games that includes a century.
Divyaansh Saxena and Yashasvi Jaiswal are crucial for Team India
Meanwhile, the side's opening batsmen Divyaansh Saxena and Yashasvi Jaiswal are key members of the squad. The opening duo will need to score runs at large at the top for India. Mumbai's 17-year-old Jaiswal recently grabbed headlines by becoming the youngest to score a List-A double ton. Also, Hyderabad's Thakur Tilak Varma has found a berth in the side.
A look at India's bowling options
In terms of bowling, Bihar's Sushant Mishra and Kartik Tyagi from UP, who were among the top wicket-takers against England, also feature in the World Cup squad. Joining the two is Rajasthan pacer Akash Singh and Karnataka's Vidyadhar Patil. India's spin options are in the form of Atharva Ankolekar and Karnataka's Shubhang Hegde, who captained India U-19 during their 3-2 series win against Afghanistan.
A look at India's U-19 World Cup squad
India U-19 squad for World Cup: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Divyaansh Saxena, Priyam Garg (c), Dhruv Chand Jurel (vc & wk), Shashwat Rawat, Divyansh Joshi, Shubhang Hegde, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Atharva Ankolekar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Sushant Mishra, Vidyadhar Patil.
India placed in Group A alongside Japan, NZ and Lanka
India are four-time champions and will defend the title next year. Team India is part of Group A in the 16-team tournament. The side is placed alongside first-time qualifier Japan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from this round will go on to progress to the Super League stage. India begin their campaign against Sri Lanka on January 19.
