Zol to lead India U-19 in ACC Asia Cup

Maharashtra batsman Vijay Zol will lead the India Under-19 squad for the ACC Asia Cup in the UAE, which begins on December 28.

Kerala wicketkeeper Sanju Vishwanadh, who was part of the Under-19 team for the Asia Cup in 2012, has been named his deputy.

"The All-India Junior Selection Committee met in Delhi on 27th November to pick the Indian team for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup to be played in the UAE in December 2013–January 2014," read a statement from Anurag Thakur, joint-secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Zol shot into the limelight after scoring an unbeaten 451 during a domestic Under-19 match in 2011. During the Under-19 World Cup last year, he scored 151 runs in six matches, at an average of 25.16.

The tournament will also feature teams from India, Pakistan, UAE, Nepal (Group A) and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Malaysia (Group B).

India opens its campaign against hosts UAE on December 28, while the much-awaited contest against the arch-rivals Pakistan is on December 31.

Squad: Vijay Zol (captain), Sanju Vishwanadh (vice-captain, Akhil Herwadkar, Ankush Bains, Ricky Bhui, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav, Amir Gani, Karan Kaila, C V Milind, Avesh Khan, Rishi Arothe and Monu Kumar Singh.

The match-schedule is as follows:

December 28: India vs UAE (Sharjah Cricket Stadium), Pakistan vs Nepal (ICC GCA 1), Bangladesh vs Malaysia (Abu Dhabi Oval 1), Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi Oval 2)

December 29: India vs Nepal (ICC GCA 1), Pakistan vs UAE (Sharjah Cricket Stadium), Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi Oval 1), Sri Lanka vs Malaysia (Abu Dhabi Oval 2)

December 31: India vs Pakistan (Dubai International Stadium), Nepal vs UAE (Sharjah Cricket Stadium), Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Sheikh Zayed Stadium), Afghanistan vs Malaysia (Abu Dhabi Oval 1)

January 2: 1A vs 2B (SF1) (Sharjah Cricket Stadium), 1B vs 2A (SF2) (ICC GCA 1)

January 4: Final (Sharjah Cricket Stadium).

Image: Vijay Zol (left) and Akhil Herwadkar celebrate with the trophy after India's triumph in the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup

Photograph: Ian Hitchcock-ICC/Getty Images