New Delhi [India] May 22 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer and the Chief Cricketing Advisor of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), Harbhajan Singh on Thursday highlighted the significance of the PCA in developing young cricketers from Punjab.

In a self-made video, Singh congratulated three Punjab cricketers - Vihaan, Rahul, and Anmoljeet, who have been named in India's Under-19 team, and expressed his pride and happiness, stating that it's a special day for Punjab cricket.

Singh also praised the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for its efforts in nurturing young talent and contributing to the Indian team.

'It is really a special day as three Punjab cricketers have been named in India's U-19 team. Vihaan, Rahul and Anmoljeet are really good players. I hope they play well and contribute to India's success. I congratulate them, their coaches and family. Punjab Cricket has been working in Punjab, BCCI and India's favour and will continue to do so. The youngsters from Punjab are contributing a lot in the Indian team, and all the credit goes to the PCA. I feel proud to be one of them and give them whatever I can offer. I hope this trend continues,' Harbhajan Singh stated in the video.

Earlier in the day, BCCI's Junior Cricket Selection Committee announced the Indian U19 squad for their upcoming tour of England, which is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 23.

The month-long tour will include a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth One-Day series, and two Multi-Day matches against England U19, according to a media advisory from BCCI.

Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) opening batter Ayush Mhatre will lead the squad. Mhatre has impressed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, scoring 206 runs in six games at a remarkable strike rate of 187.27. He narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, getting dismissed for 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

The 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also in the squad. The youngster made headlines this season when he smashed a 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, becoming the youngest ever centurion in men's T20 cricket.

His century, which came in just 35 balls, is now the second-fastest in IPL history. He finished the season with 252 runs in seven matches, averaging 36.00 with a phenomenal strike rate of 206.56, including one century and a half-century.

Abhigyan Kundu, who will also serve as the wicketkeeper, has been named vice-captain of the side. Another wicketkeeping option in the squad is Harvansh Singh. The team also features other talented players such as Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Aditya Rana, and Anmoljeet Singh.

The standby players for the tour are Naman Pushpak, D Deepesh, Vedant Trivedi, Vikalp Tiwari, and Alankrith Rapole, who is a wicketkeeper.

India will begin their tour with a 50-over warm-up match on June 24 at Loughborough University.

The first One-Day match will be held on June 27 at Hove, followed by the second and third matches on June 30 and July 2 at Northampton. The fourth and fifth One-Dayers are scheduled for July 5 and 7 in Worcester.

Following the white-ball series, the team will play two multi-day matches. The first will take place from July 12 to 15 in Beckenham, and the second will be held from July 20 to 23 in Chelmsford. (ANI)