The 15-man India U-19 team for the home series against Australia was revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and it included players like Anvay Dravid, son of former India coach Rahul Dravid, and Aaryavir Sehwag, son of India icon Virender Sehwag.
Despite being only 15 years old, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was unable to secure a spot in the team. He even made his senior squad debut in Twenty20 Internationals against England, solidifying his reputation as a top performer on the international front. He was still left off the team, though, and it was due to a certain BCCI regulation.
Squads for two red-ball multi-day matches and three 50-over matches in Rajkot on September 18, 21, and 23 were announced by the Junior Men’s Selection Committee. The first red-ball match is scheduled for September 27–30 in Rajkot, and the second is scheduled for October 5–8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium ‘B’ Ground in Ahmedabad.
Anvay Dravid, the son of Rahul Dravid, and Aaryavir Sehwag, the son of former India opener Virender Sehwag, both made the cut. However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s name was noticeably missing. Even though they would still be eligible in terms of age, the BCCI implemented a guideline in 2016 prohibiting players from participating in more than one U-19 World Cup.
According to NDTV, his absence was due to a particular BCCI guideline. In 2016, the board implemented a rule prohibiting any player, regardless of age, from participating in more than one U-19 World Cup. Due to his participation in the 2026 U-19 World Cup, Sooryavanshi has been completely removed from the current U-19 planning cycle and will not be able to compete in any subsequent editions.
The impact of the 2016 regulation was not unprecedented. The first well-known victim was Washington Sundar, who was disqualified from the 2018 U-19 World Cup even though he was of legal age. Players like Sarfaraz Khan, Sandeep Sharma, and Vijay Zol have each participated in multiple tournament editions without any restrictions prior to the rule. With his participation in the 2026 World Cup, Sooryavanshi is now the most recent player to be caught by the cap, which was introduced by the BCCI especially to stop that pattern from recurring.
