India’s preparations for the home Under-19 series against Australia have taken an abrupt turn, with legspinner Rohit Yadav withdrawn from both squads over age-discrepancy concerns, prompting a swift reshuffle from the selectors.
Rohit’s omission is a sharp twist in a promising early story. He had just returned from Sri Lanka with his reputation enhanced, having taken six wickets in the two-match four-day series, operating as a key part of India’s attack. Instead of building on that momentum at home, he now steps aside while the age verification issue is addressed.
Into the frame step Aryan Savsani and Tanmay Baloda.
Savsani, from the Saurashtra Cricket Association, slots into the One-Day squad. Haryana’s Baloda is drafted into the Multi-Day group. Both arrive not as fringe fillers, but as players suddenly handed a chance in a marquee youth contest against Australia, on home soil, with selectors and senior scouts watching closely.
Match Schedule
The schedule gives them a clear stage.
- Three One-Day matches in Rajkot on September 18, 21 and 23.
- Two four-day fixtures: September 27-30 in Rajkot, then October 5-8 in Ahmedabad.
At the heart of it all stands Lakshya Raichandani.
He will captain the One-Day side, with Yashbardhan Chauhan as his deputy. When the format switches to red-ball, the roles reverse: Chauhan takes over as captain, Raichandani becomes vice-captain. It’s a leadership tandem built on form, not reputation.
Raichandani arrives in ruthless touch. On the recent tour of Sri Lanka, he dominated the two-match four-day series, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 307 runs at a staggering average of 153.50. A double-century in Galle – 207 – followed by an unbeaten 100 in Colombo underlined his temperament as much as his talent.
He already owns four first-class appearances for Uttarakhand, with 223 runs and three half-centuries. For a teenager, that’s not just promise; it’s a body of work.
He is not alone. This is a group that has already tasted success away from home.
Sagar Virk peeled off 134 in the first four-day game in Sri Lanka. In the second, Manal Chauhan hammered 150, while Kushagra Ojha added 111. These are not cameo knocks; they are innings that anchor tours and shape careers. That core now carries its form into a high-profile home series, where conditions and crowds will be on their side.
There is also a familiar echo in some of the names.
The One-Day squad includes Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid, sons of former India captains Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. The weight of those surnames is unavoidable, but both youngsters are beginning to carve out their own files in the selectors’ folders.
Anvay Dravid already has runs in this set-up. He toured Sri Lanka with the India U-19s in July and made 87 in the second One-Day game, a substantial innings under foreign conditions. In this squad, he is listed as one of two wicketkeepers, alongside Rajat Baghel, adding another layer to his value.
India U-19 One-Day Squad
The final One-Day group reads like a snapshot of India’s next generation:
Lakshya Raichandani (c), Yashbardhan Chauhan (vc), Rajat Baghel (wk), Aaryavir Sehwag, V.K. Vineet, Kushagra Ojha, Arjun Rajput, Manal Chauhan, Anvay Dravid (wk), V. Yashveer, Shavin Vinodh, Mohit Ulva, Chigurupati Venkata, Kavya Patel, Aryan Savsani.
Rohit Yadav’s absence leaves a gap in the attack, no question. But it also opens a door. For Savsani and Baloda, for the batters who lit up Sri Lanka, for the famous surnames trying to become first-choice names in their own right.
Australia U-19 are coming. The spotlight is already on.
