Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid's son, Samit Dravid, is yet to make his Under-19 debut for the country. In the ongoing home series against Australia Under-19, Dravid has been on the sidelines as he is still recovering from a knee injury. Coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has now said that he is likely to miss the four-day games (unofficial Tests) as well.
"As of now he's at the NCA, recovering from his knee injury," Kanitkar said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "So, [I] don't know yet. It looks unlikely."
The 18-year-old made headlines when he turned up for Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy. He also played for Karnataka in the Cooch Behar Trophy which they won.
India dominate Australia at home
In Samit's absence, India completed cleansweep against Australia in three-match One-Day series in Chennai. In the first two matches, India won comprehensively while chasing whereas in the last game, the hosts won a thriller by just seven runs despite skipper Oliver Peake and Steven Hogan's centuries.
The young guns are scheduled to take Australia in the two-match red-ball series. The first match is scheduled to begin on September 30. Samit is unlikely to be available for the second game starting on October 7.
Samit ineligible for Under-19 World Cup 2026
Samit was selected in the Under-19 team despite him being ineligible to play Under-19 World Cup in 2026. According the International Cricket Council's (ICC) regulations, a player needs to be aged under 19 on August 31, 2025 to play the tournament. But Samit will turn 19 on October 11 and will miss the tournament.
National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman explained why a few players who can't be part of the World Cup are part of the series against Australia.
"So, now we are playing a series against Australia Under-19 and luckily a lot of the guys who may miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series," Laxman said on the sidelines of the new NCA in Bengaluru which will be knock as the 'Centre of Excellence'.
"So overall the exposure is there and they also are not only restricted or constrained only for the World Cup. We want them to evolve as cricketers and just because someone played India Under-19 or someone didn't play India Under-19 doesn't mean that they won't progress in their career but if they play at the highest level, understand the pressures of a World Cup I think that will enhance their mental strength and also progress as cricketers."
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