Deepesh, Pushpak drafted into India U19 squad for England tour

New Delhi: D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak have been drafted into India men’s U19 squad for the upcoming tour of England, scheduled to happen from June 24 to July 23.

Both Deepesh and Naman were part of the standby players’ list for the tour, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the duo come into the main squad as replacements for Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel.

“Aditya sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence,” said the BCCI in a statement on Monday.

India men’s U19 squad will be led by Ayush Mhatre, who sparkled for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, on the tour that comprises a 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University, followed by a five-match Youth One-Day series in Hove, Northampton and Worcester. Two Multi-Day matches against England U19 will also be played at Beckenham and Chelmsford respectively.

Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu, Mhatre’s team-mate from Mumbai, has been appointed as the side’s vice-captain. The squad also features explosive left-handed batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi, amassed 252 runs, including a whirlwind 35-ball hundred and a half-century, for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025. Suryavanshi and Mhatre were also a part of India’s runners-up finish at the U19 Asia Cup in the UAE last year.

Other notable selections include Punjab batter Vihaan Malhotra and Kerala leg-spinner Mohammed Enaan, both of whom impressed during the youth series against Australia held in Chennai and Puducherry last year. IANS

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