Tanmay Baloda takes 14 wickets as India U-19 sweep Australia in Youth Tests

India's under-19 cricket team beat Australia U-19 by 10 wickets in the second Youth Test in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, finishing the match inside three days and winning the two-match series 2-0. Left-arm spinner Tanmay Baloda was the star, taking 14 wickets in the match: six in Australia's first innings and 8 for 41 in the second. Australia were bowled out for 174 and 151, India made 315 in their first innings, and the hosts knocked off the 11 runs they needed without losing a wicket.

Youth Tests are where young cricketers learn the longer format: bowling long spells, building pressure and taking 20 wickets to win a match. A 14-wicket haul in such a game is rare at any level. For Baloda, a left-arm spinner, it is the kind of performance that puts a name on selectors' lists for India A, domestic first-class cricket and future junior tournaments.

The match turned in the first innings, when Baloda's six-wicket haul helped bowl Australia out for 174 and put India in control. India's batters then built a lead of 141, which left Australia needing a long rearguard. They could not manage it.

The series result also matters. Beating Australia, one of cricket's strongest systems at every level, 2-0 in red-ball matches shows that India's junior pipeline is producing players who can win the long format, not only white-ball games. It continues a strong year for India's under-19 cricket, which won the Under-19 World Cup earlier in 2026.

For young players watching, the story is a reminder that one opportunity can change a season. Spinners often have to wait for the right pitch and the right match. When it comes, taking it with both hands, as Baloda did, is what gets a young player noticed.

Short-term: Baloda's performance makes him one of the most talked-about young spinners in Indian cricket and boosts his chances of further selection.

Long-term: Success in multi-day junior cricket strengthens India's pool of red-ball players for domestic first-class cricket and, eventually, Test cricket.

Who is affected: India's under-19 players and coaches, junior and senior selectors, domestic teams scouting young spinners, and young cricketers aiming for the national pathway.

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