A three-team Under-19 tournament is set to begin in Bengaluru on 17 November, featuring two Indian sides—India A and India B—alongside Afghanistan U-19.
The squads for both Indian teams were announced yesterday, and one name immediately caught the eye: Anvay Dravid, the 16-year-old youngest son of cricketing legend Rahul Dravid.
Rahul Dravid, widely known as ‘The Wall’ in Indian cricket, was renowned for his dependability at the crease. As a coach, he has led India to the final of the Test Championship and the ODI World Cup, and under his guidance, India won the T20 World Cup last year. Now, his youngest son Anvay has earned a place in the Under-19 squad, following in his father’s footsteps with hard work and dedication.
The Dravid family’s elder son, Samit, is also a cricketer, playing as an all-rounder. Last year, he scored 362 runs and took 16 wickets in eight matches in the Cooch Behar Trophy. Anvay, meanwhile, is carving his own path as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
According to India Today, Anvay secured his place in the squad thanks to consistent performances in age-group cricket. He captained Karnataka in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and was his team’s highest run-scorer in the previous edition.
Notably, Ayush Mahatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi have not been included in the U-19 squads this time. Indian media reports that both are moving on to bigger platforms: Mahatre is playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season, while Suryavanshi has been called up to the India A side.
Samit Dravid had been selected for the India U-19 series against Australia last year but missed out due to injury.