U19 Asia Cup 2025 Live: India kickoff campaign against UAE in Dubai

United Arab Emirates U19 Squad: Prithvi Madhu, Muhammad Rayan Khan, Yayin Rai(c), Saleh Amin(w), Noorullah Ayobi, Ahmed Khudadad, Muhammad Bazil Asim, Yug Sharma, Zainullah Rehmani, Ali Asgar Shums, Uddish Suri, Ayaan Misbah, Shalom D’Souza, Naseem Khan, Karan Dhiman

India U19 Squad: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre(c), Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhigyan Kundu(w), Harvansh Pangalia, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Udhav Mohan, Naman Pushpak, Vedant Trivedi, Kishan Kumar Singh, Aaron George, Yuvraj Gohil

While India–Pakistan draws the limelight, defending champions Bangladesh carry their own ambitions.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Rizan Hossan believes the Asia Cup is the “perfect platform” before the U-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia next year.

Speaking to IANS, he said the team is eager to build on last year’s title — also clinched by beating India — and their historic 2020 U-19 World Cup win.

Bangladesh’s immediate task is navigating a competitive Group B featuring Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Hossan insists confidence is high after a superb run of personal form: a century in England, a 95 and five-for against South Africa, and a match-winning 75 with two wickets against Afghanistan. His emergence as a genuine three-department contributor has significantly elevated Bangladesh’s expectations.

Beyond the off-field intrigue, India’s cricketing might remains unquestioned.

Suryavanshi and Mhatre are entering the Asia Cup after dominating the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Mhatre smashed back-to-back centuries in the group stage, while Suryavanshi became the youngest player in tournament history to hit a century, producing a dazzling ton against Maharashtra.

Between them, they have played over 30 senior-level games across formats and collectively scored nine centuries — more than what all seven other Asia Cup teams possess together.

With Malaysia and UAE lacking significant exposure to 50-over cricket, India and Pakistan are almost certain semifinalists.

India’s depth and early exposure to senior domestic cricket make them overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title.

A BCCI official, speaking anonymously to PTI, revealed that the board has issued “explicit instructions” to team manager Anand Datar on the matter.

“The boys haven’t been told anything,” he clarified, stressing that the adults in charge will handle the protocol.

If India decide against the handshake, the match referee must be informed beforehand. However, the ICC is believed to be firm that politics should not overshadow junior cricket, making it a finely balanced situation between public sentiment and global expectations.

Both boards are aware that junior cricket optics can shape narratives about the health of India–Pakistan sporting ties, especially at a time when full bilateral cricket between the two nations remains suspended.

The debate stems from the stance adopted by India’s senior men’s and women’s teams in the recent past.

During the senior Asia Cup, the Women’s ODI World Cup and the Rising Stars Asia Cup T20, Indian players deliberately refused handshakes with Pakistan’s players as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with the Indian Army and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The question now is whether this precedent extends to junior cricket. Many believe that age-group tournaments should stay insulated from political messaging, especially when the global governing body is keen on maintaining the sanctity of sportsmanship.

With the India–Pakistan match on Sunday likely to draw maximum attention and emotion, the handshake protocol has turned into a matter of optics, principles and administrative clarity.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of India's first match of the U-19 Asia Cup against UAE in Dubai.

India’s U-19 Asia Cup campaign arrives with twin narratives: the explosive rise of Gen Z batting prodigies Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, and the sensitive question of whether the BCCI will allow the youngsters to exchange handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts.

The diplomatic undertone has unexpectedly overshadowed team combinations and form charts ahead of the opener against UAE today.

While Mhatre will lead a confident Indian side, it is Sunday’s marquee clash against Pakistan that threatens to dominate all conversation.

In a tournament meant to serve as a dress rehearsal for next year’s U-19 World Cup, the subtext of sporting civility — or the lack of it — has turned into the biggest off-field talking point before a ball is bowled.