Why Rahul Dravid's Son Samit Will Miss Out on World Cup Despite India U-19 Selection

New Delhi: Former India head coach Rahul Dravid's talented son, Samit Dravid, has been named in the India U-19 squad for the upcoming series against Australia to be held at home in September and October. This call-up comes as a result of Samit's outstanding all-round performance for Karnataka in the Cooch Behar Trophy earlier this year. While Samit has earned this opportunity, it is unlikely that he will be part of the India U-19 World Cup squad in 2026.

Samit Dravid is currently featuring in the Maharaja T20 Trophy, where he represents Mysuru Warriors. He is a middle order bat, having scored 82 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 114. Although he can give all-round services, his fast-bowling skills have not been utilised in the tournament so far.

Samit Dravid’s standout performance came in the Cooch Behar Trophy, where he amassed 362 runs and claimed 16 wickets in just eight matches for Karnataka.

Despite getting called up for India U-19, Samit Dravid will not take part in the 2026 U-19 World Cup. Having been born on November 10, 2005, he will be almost 21 when BCCI picks up their squad for the said tournament and hence, cannot play for the U-19 team.

Like Rahul Dravid was not selected during the early days of his career for the U-19 World Cup. He was picked in the side for a home India series against New Zealand in 1992 but was omitted from the squad for the U-19 World Cup that followed. The ICC had hosted only the second edition of the tournament in 1998, a decade after the inaugural event in 1988.

The three-match one-day series between India U-19 and Australia will take place in Puducherry on September 21, 23, and 26, with Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Amaan leading the Indian squad.

Following the one-day series, the teams will move to Chennai for two four-day matches starting on September 30 and October 7. Madhya Pradesh’s Soham Patwardhan will captain the India U-19 team for this segment of the tour.

India U19 squad for one-day series: Rudra Patel, Sahil Parakh, Kartikeya KP, Mohd Amaan (Captain), Kiran Chormale, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Samit Dravid, Yudhajit Guha, Samarth N, Nikhil Kumar, Chetan Sharma, Hardik Raj, Rohit Rajawat, Mohd Enaan.

India U19 squad for four-day series: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitya Pandya, Vihan Malhotra, Soham Patwardhan (Captain), Kartikeya KP, Samit Dravid, Abhigyan Kundu (WK), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Chetan Sharma, Samarth N, Aditya Rawat, Nikhil Kumar, Anmoljeet Singh, Aditya Singh, Mohd Enaan.