India could not defend their Under-19 World Cup title this year as they lost to Bangladesh in the 2020 edition final. Nevertheless, India unearthed a lot of exciting talent that could serve the nation in the future. Here’s a look at five Under-19 Indian cricketers who promise a lot in the future.
1) Yashasvi Jaiswal
He came into the limelight when he scored 203 for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare trophy Elite Group A match against Jharkhand to become the youngest batsman to score a double ton in List A cricket. His humble story of selling pani puris for a living then made cricketing headlines.
In the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, he emerged the highest run-getter with 400 runs from 6 innings, including 1 ton and 4 fifties. His growing stature as a cricketer saw him earn an IPL contract for Rajasthan Royals for Rs 2.4 crore, after having a base price of just Rs 20 lakh.
2) Priyam Garg
At just 19, Priyam Garg has a double century (206) to his credit in First Class cricket for Uttar Pradesh. It came against Goa on his Ranji Trophy debut. He captained India to Under-19 World Cup 2020 final where the team lost to Bangladesh.
In his maiden First-Class season, he was the second-highest run-getter for Uttar Pradesh with 814 runs in 10 matches. He also struck gold in IPL, bagging Rs 1.9 crore contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
3) Ravi Bishnoi
He emerged the highest wicket-taker in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, bagging 17 wickets, with 3 four-wicket hauls. In the match against Japan, he took 4 wickets without giving a single run, before ending with bowling figures of 4/5 in his 8 overs.
In the final against Bangladesh, he took 4/30 but could not stop India from ending runners-up. He was selected for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020 at a price of Rs 2 crore after a bidding war starting from his base price of Rs 20 Lakh.
4) kartik Tyagi
The tall fast bowler is known to swing the ball both ways, and can clock 140km/hr. And he is just 19. He took 11 wickets in the Under-19 World Cup 2020. His best performance came against Australia, taking 4/24 to demolish the opposition. His fine performance earned him an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.3 crore after having a base price of just Rs 20 lakh.
5) Atharva Ankolekar
Atharva Ankolekar is another promising Under-19 Indian cricketer. His father, who was a Kanga League cricketer, wanted Atharva to be a professional cricketer so much that he placed a bat near his crib when he was born.
Atharva, an all-rounder, was the highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets in the 2019 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup. He was also the player of the final, taking 5/28 against Bangladesh. He also had a decent Under-19 World Cup 2020, taking 4 wickets and scoring a fifty in 4 matches.
Photo courtesy: Yashasvi Jaiswal's Facebook page
