The Indian U19 team begin their ICC U19 World Cup at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa as they face off against 2020 edition winners Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi unit won the coin toss ahead of the highly anticipated game and opted to put India to bat first.
The Indian youngsters are the reigning champions and their neighbours Bangladesh, played out an incredible final in the 2020 edition of the youth showpiece as the Bangla tigers edged out their Indian counterparts in a high-tempered final to clinch their maiden title.
India have won the most titles in the age category World Cup with five championships to their name, even ahead of Australia, who have managed to claim the coveted prize thrice since its inception.
Pakistan have claimed the silverware twice, while Bangladesh, England and hosts South Africa have all won it once.
India claimed their first U19 WC title back in the year 2002, before managing to repeat the feat in the years 2008, 2012, 2018 and most recently 2022.
The holders will look to put on a big show to open their campaign as they seek to retain the age category crown and extend their record title haul to six on South African soil.
The senior men;s national team has benefited greatly over the years with the young players to come out of the U19 World Cup including the likes of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli, maverick all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and legendary players such as Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh.
Young players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravi Bishnoi, who have made their foray into the senior team, had shone at the previous editions of the U19 World Cups, which serves as a massive talent farm.
Full Squads:
India U19: Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan(c), Priyanshu Moliya, Sachin Dhas, Murugan Abhishek, Aravelly Avanish(w), Naman Tiwari, Raj Limbani, Saumy Pandey, Aaradhya Shukla, Innesh Mahajan, Dhanush Gowda, Rudra Patel, Prem Devkar, Mohamed Amaan, Ansh Gosai
Bangladesh U19: Ashiqur Rahman Shibli(w), Adil Bin Siddik, Jishan Alam, Chowdhury Md Rizwan, Ariful Islam, Ahrar Amin, Mohammad Shihab James, Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby(c), Sheikh Paevez Jibon, Md Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Wasi Siddiquee, Rohanat Doullah Borson, Maruf Mridha, Md Iqbal Hossain Emmon, Ashrafuzzaman Boranno
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