India U-19 Team Changes: Rohit Yadav Withdrawn, Sehwag and Dravid's Sons in Focus
India’s Under-19 setup has been jolted on the eve of a high-profile home series against Australia U-19, with legspinner Rohit Yadav withdrawn from both squads over age discrepancies.
The change comes just weeks after Rohit impressed on the tour of Sri Lanka, where he picked up six wickets across the two-match four-day series. His progress had marked him out as a key part of India’s plans for the Australia games. Those plans now move on without him.
In his place, the selectors have turned to two fresh faces. Aryan Savsani, from the Saurashtra Cricket Association, steps into the One-Day squad, while Haryana’s Tanmay Baloda joins the Multi-Day group. Two different formats, two different opportunities, and both in front of home crowds.
Raichandani’s moment
The series itself has plenty of intrigue. Three One-Day matches in Rajkot on September 18, 21 and 23 will be followed by two four-day fixtures — the first in Rajkot from September 27-30, the second in Ahmedabad from October 5-8.
At the heart of it all stands Lakshya Raichandani.
The Uttarakhand batter arrives in red-hot form. On the recent Sri Lanka tour, he dominated the two-match four-day series, piling up 307 runs at a staggering average of 153.50. He struck a commanding 207 in Galle, then backed it up with an unbeaten 100 in Colombo. Numbers that don’t just demand selection; they demand responsibility.
He gets it. Raichandani will captain the One-Day side, with Yashbardhan Chauhan as his vice-captain. When the format shifts to red-ball cricket, the leadership flips: Chauhan takes the captaincy, Raichandani becomes his deputy. A neat reflection of India’s attempt to groom multiple leaders at this level rather than rely on a single voice.
Raichandani’s pedigree extends beyond age-group cricket. He already has four first-class matches to his name, with 223 runs and three half-centuries. For an Under-19 cricketer, that kind of experience is gold.
Runs in the bank
He is not alone in carrying form into the Australia series.
Sagar Virk lit up the first four-day game in Sri Lanka with 134. In the second, Manal Chauhan hammered 150 and Kushagra Ojha added 111, underlining the depth in India’s young batting core. These aren’t cameos; they’re statements from players who want to be part of the next wave.
The selectors have clearly leaned into that momentum. Many of those who delivered in Sri Lanka now get the chance to test themselves against an Australian side that traditionally brings pace, aggression, and a hard edge to youth cricket.
Familiar surnames, new stories
The One-Day squad list also catches the eye for another reason.
Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid — sons of former India captains Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid — both feature. The names are impossible to ignore, but the expectations will be their own to manage.
Anvay Dravid already has a small but meaningful marker at this level. On the Sri Lanka tour in July, he made 87 in the second One-Day game, part of a measured, composed effort that hinted at a solid temperament. He returns as one of two wicketkeepers in the squad, alongside Rajat Baghel.
Aaryavir Sehwag, meanwhile, steps into the limelight with the weight of one of Indian cricket’s most explosive surnames on his back. This series offers him the chance to begin writing his own version of it.
The squad and the stakes
India U-19 One-Day squad:
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.
For all the attention on the surnames and the late withdrawal of Rohit Yadav, the larger story is clear. This is a group already hardened by an away tour, now thrust into a marquee home assignment against Australia.
Some are chasing a World Cup spot. Some are trying to break into the domestic circuit with authority. Others are fighting simply to stay in the conversation.
Across Rajkot and Ahmedabad over the next few weeks, those ambitions will either gather pace or stall. Which of these teenagers will turn promise into something more tangible against Australia?
