Harbhajan Singh Celebrates Punjab Cricketers in India's U-19 Team
Harbhajan Singh's Pride in Punjab's Young Talent
New Delhi [India] May 22: Harbhajan Singh, the former Indian cricketer and Chief Cricketing Advisor for the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), emphasized the PCA's crucial role in fostering young cricket talent from Punjab.
In a heartfelt video message, Singh expressed his congratulations to three young cricketers from Punjab—Vihaan, Rahul, and Anmoljeet—who have earned spots on India's Under-19 team. He conveyed his pride and joy, marking it as a significant day for cricket in Punjab.
Singh commended the PCA for its dedication to nurturing emerging players and its contributions to the national team. He stated, “Today is indeed special as three talented cricketers from Punjab have been selected for the U-19 team. Vihaan, Rahul, and Anmoljeet are exceptional players. I wish them success and hope they make a positive impact for India. Congratulations to them, their coaches, and families. The PCA has been instrumental in supporting Punjab, the BCCI, and the Indian team, and this will continue. Youngsters from Punjab are making significant contributions to the Indian squad, and the PCA deserves all the credit. I take pride in being part of this journey and will offer my support. I hope this trend persists,” he remarked in the video.
Earlier that day, the BCCI's Junior Cricket Selection Committee revealed the Indian U19 squad for their upcoming tour of England, set to occur from June 24 to July 23.
This month-long tour will feature a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth One-Day series, and two Multi-Day matches against the England U19 team, as per a media advisory from the BCCI.
Ayush Mhatre, an opening batter for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will captain the squad. Mhatre has showcased impressive form in the IPL 2025, amassing 206 runs in six matches at an outstanding strike rate of 187.27. He narrowly missed a century, scoring 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Also included in the squad is 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made headlines this season by scoring a remarkable 101 runs off just 38 balls against Gujarat Titans (GT) while playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, becoming the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket.
His century, achieved in just 35 balls, is now the second-fastest in IPL history. He concluded the season with 252 runs across seven matches, averaging 36.00 with an impressive strike rate of 206.56, including one century and one half-century.
Abhigyan Kundu has been appointed as the vice-captain and will also take on the role of wicketkeeper. Another wicketkeeping option in the squad is Harvansh Singh. The team comprises other promising players such as Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Aditya Rana, and Anmoljeet Singh.
The standby players for the tour include Naman Pushpak, D Deepesh, Vedant Trivedi, Vikalp Tiwari, and wicketkeeper Alankrith Rapole.
India's tour will kick off with a 50-over warm-up match on June 24 at Loughborough University.
The first One-Day match is scheduled for June 27 at Hove, followed by the second and third matches on June 30 and July 2 at Northampton. The fourth and fifth One-Dayers will take place on July 5 and 7 in Worcester.
After the white-ball series, the team will engage in two multi-day matches, with the first from July 12 to 15 in Beckenham, and the second from July 20 to 23 in Chelmsford.