India, Jan 15 : The India Under-19 team began their ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 campaign on Thursday against USA Under-19 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
India captain Ayush Mhatre won the toss and elected to bowl first, citing overcast conditions, grey skies, and the possibility of rain later in the day as key factors behind his decision.
Five-time champions India entered the contest as overwhelming favourites, facing a USA side making a rare appearance on the global stage. The Mhatre-led team arrived in Zimbabwe brimming with confidence after a comprehensive ODI series sweep against South Africa Under-19, underlining their strong preparation for the tournament.
India are the most successful team in Under-19 World Cup history, having lifted the trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022.
Speaking after the toss, Mhatre expressed confidence in his squad and the bowling combination selected for the conditions.
“We are not very used to these conditions, and there could be some dew as well with overcast weather. We want to make the most of it. The preparation has been good, the boys are confident, and we’ve been playing together for almost six months. We’re going with three pacers, one all-rounder and two spinners,” he said.
USA captain Utkarsh Srivastava said his side would have opted to bat first regardless of the toss outcome.
“We would have batted first anyway. Our preparation has been very good. We’ve toured South Africa and West Indies and arrived early here as well. We’re looking forward to this opportunity and aiming to win the cup,” Srivastava said.
Probable Playing XIs
India U19:
Ayush Mhatre (c), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abighyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Pangalia, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Khilan Patel
USA U19:
Sahil Garg, Amrinder Gill, Arjun Mahesh (wk), Utkarsh Srivastava (c), Ritvik Appidi, Adnit Jhamb, Amogh Arepally, Nitish Sudini, Sabrish Prasad, Adit Kappa, Rishabh Shimpi
Head-to-head record (U19 World Cup)
Total matches: 1
India U19 won: 1
USA U19 won: 0
No result: 0
Live streaming and telecast
The India vs USA U19 World Cup 2026 match will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network in India. Live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.