U19 World Cup 2024: Two most recent champions the teams to watch in Group A

The finalists of the 2020 edition of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, India and Bangladesh, will be joined by Ireland and USA in Group A.

India are also the defending champions, having beaten England in an epic see-saw encounter back in 2022 in the West Indies. The Group A fixtures begin on January 19 with Ireland playing USA in Bloemfontein. 

Here we take a look at the four teams, their make-up and some of the future stars to look out for:

India

Defending Champions India have been serial winners in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup history, winning five titles in the 14 editions.

Going into the 2024 campaign, they will again be one of the strong favourites to go deep in the tournament. In fact, only once – in the inaugural edition in 1988 – has India failed to make it past the group stage in an U19 Men’s CWC.

Uday Saharan will lead the side and hope to put his name in an elite list of Indian captains – Mohammed Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull – to have lifted the U19 World Cup trophy.

Their recent semi-final exit at the ACC U19 Asia Cup will serve as fuel for a determined Indian side to aim for the stars. 

Their undefeated run in the pre-tournament tri-nation series against South Africa and Afghanistan will give them confidence, making them formidable contenders with their eyes set on a historic sixth title in the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Squad

Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (c), Avanish Aravelly, Saumy Kumar Pandey, Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan, Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani and Naman Tiwari.

Fixtures

20 January: v Bangladesh, Bloemfontein
25 January: v Ireland, Bloemfontein
28 January: v USA, Bloemfontein

Watch out for

Naman Tiwari

Naman Tiwari has enjoyed a great start to his cricket career, starting with a five-for against Bangladesh in a tri-series in November. In four matches, he picked up 12 wickets to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series.

The 18-year-old followed it up with five wickets in three Asia Cup games and has built great momentum with seven wickets in three games in the recent tri-series while familiarising himself with the South African conditions.

Naman offers India a trait that has been a bit of a rarity over the years – left-arm pace. With his stellar performances, he undoubtedly becomes one of the key players to keep a close eye on in the upcoming tournament.

What they said

Uday Saharan, India captain: “Our preparation has been intense, and the team has been working tirelessly to fine-tune every aspect of our game. We understand the challenges that come with representing our country at this level, but the excitement within the squad is palpable. The prospect of competing against the best U19 teams from around the world is both thrilling and motivating.”