From boys to men - The best U-24 batsmen in India to watch out for

India has a history of producing top quality batsmen ever since it began playing the gentleman’s game. From Lala Amarnath (India’s first Test centurion) and Vijay Merchant in the 1930s, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in the 60s, Gavaskar and Vishwanath in the 70s and 80s and Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly most recently, the country has produced players who consistently make it to the elite club of their times.Young prodigies like Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, all those who made it into the team via the U-19 ranks are no longer boys – they are men looking to take the world in their stride.This obviously brings us to the next question – Who’s next in line to carry the baton of this rich tradition forward? Here, I attempt to highlight the top batsmen in India under the age of 24, who can make the big leap in coming years.However, before beginning the list, it is interesting to note that a majority of these players are actually solid, technically sound batsmen of the Dravid and Pujara mould rather than one-hit wonders contrary to what one might possibly be expecting especially since the advent of the IPL.Since Ajinkya Rahane in 2011, there has been no batsman under 24 years of age who has been made his debut for India at international level, showing India’s aversion to play youngsters unless they are a complete product, and indicating the presence of a much more settled batting unit and more experienced campaigners for backup.A very small clarification (not to hurt anyone’s intelligence), the word List-A has been used for Top Tier 50-over games, and First Class for the longer versions.The article also tries to bring into light lesser known facts about these youngsters.Note: The list is ranked in no specific order. Age as on 27th October 2014.

#1 Notable Absentees

Unmukt Chand: The player who was branded out as the next Virat Kohli fizzled out faster than a soda can. But with age on his side and a penchant to score big, Indian cricket would be hoping he gets back into his stride sooner than later.

Hanuma Vihari: Though known for his knocks for the Hyderabad franchise, his real prowess lies in the longer version of the game where he averages over 50. However he has failed to impress the selectors as yet being overlooked for the Australian tour, the Irani Trophy as well the Deodhar Trophy.

Mandeep Singh: Mandy, as he is fondly called also started off with a few mind numbing innings. However, things reached a roadblock for the colourful batsman this year as his form waned out just a little. He was replaced by Manan Vohra in the Punjab set-up after a string of low scores. Like Vihari, he is out of favour with the selectors and did not get a look in for either the Australian tour or the Irani Trophy.

Suryakumar Yadav and Manprit Juneja: Prolific young players they certainly are, however each of them is a tad over 24 failing to make the cut off for the Age criterion.

#2 Sanju Samson (19 years 350 days)

Forte: All three formats

Not many may know this, but Sanju Samson was part of the KKR roster in the 2012 edition of the IPL, one year before he became a household name playing for Rajasthan Royals at the tender age of 17, meaning his early promise did not go unnoticed.

A poor Asia cup in 2012 where he managed just 14 off three innings meant he missed the flight to the U-19 World cup later that year, but undeterred he continued to score heavily in the domestic circuit and was rewarded with another IPL contract for Dravid’s Rajasthan Royals. Once he scored 63 off 41 against the RCB in a crunch game, the rest, as they say, is history.

Another brilliant domestic season followed and the Kerela wicket-keeper batsman had his morale boosted by a huge show of faith by the Rajasthan camp as they retained him over other stalwarts like Brad Hodge.

The Quadrangular A-Team One-Day Series in Darwin earlier this year saw Samson shine yet again and this time he was bestowed with the best reward possible – An India call up for the ODI and T20 series in England.

Though he did not get a game in England, it is only a matter of time before this destined lad plays for the men in blue. His glove-work needs a bit of working on, but one can rest assured he will be ready to take on the world sooner than later.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	13	24	911	211	43.38	55.65	4	3
List A	21	21	554	85*	34.62	78.47	0	4
Twenty20	48	46	1016	74	24.78	121.24	0	7

#3 Manan Vohra (21 years 101 days)

Forte: List A and Twenty20s

To say that Manan Vohra raised quite a few eyebrows when he was retained by the Punjab camp would still be an understatement; to say he raised the eyebrows of all and sundry would be the most correct way of putting it. (And the eyebrows of the opposite sex this incredibly handsome and fit hunk will raise is not even up for discussion. Focus on cricket, girls!)

Vohra first made his presence felt when he, along with Unmukt Chand, made the record for the fastest chase of more than 100 runs in U19 cricket. Vohra dominated a tad more than his partner, scoring a scintillating 79 off just 35 balls as they chased down 167 in 12 overs.

The knock rewarded him with his first IPL contract with the Kings XI team for the 2013 season and he sizzled with a 43* on debut against the now defunct Pune franchise.

Though he failed for the rest of the season returning with modest figures of 161 runs @ 20.12, he scored heavily in the domestic season including a wonderful 187 against Jharkhand. But what really stood out was his absolutely fabulous run in the four-day U-25 Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy where he scored three back-to-back centuries and was rewarded with a surprise retention contract.

"He is an outstanding young talent," Yuvraj Singh said in an interview to Cricinfo. "He has the potential to play for the country one day, hopefully he will justify his talent."

It goes without saying he has made a major mark for Kings XI this season, and though he, like a host of Indian batsmen is a bit uncomfortable with the short ball, it is a chink likely to be ironed out sooner than later.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	8	14	954	187	32.42	61.93	1	3
List A	11	11	316	89	28.72	94.89	0	3
Twenty20	29	27	743	67	29.72	139.39	0	2

#4 Baba Aparajith (20 years 111 days)

Forte: First Class and List A

For a batsman as solid as Baba Aparajith, it was a surprise that his first real impression came with the ball in an U19 Quadrangular Championship in 2011 where he easily finished as the highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets @ 10.68 runs apiece. The second best bowler had 10 to his name. However, he had a decent outing with the bat too, something he is more known for today, averaging 46 in the tournament.

Aparajith played a solid hand in the 2012 U19 World Cup victory with both bat and ball and a month later was awarded a berth in the Challenger Trophy, his first taste of List-A cricket. Though he had a forgettable debut, he still made it into the South Zone team for the Deodhar trophy (List A) later that year and destiny finally decided to shine on the young Tamilian. In the quarters, Baba stroked his maiden List A hundred and returned to bowl a miserly spell of 6-0-26-1 to showcase his precarious all-round talent.

He was snapped up by the CSK franchise and though he has not got a game as yet, a quality top order all rounder has been amiss from the Indian camp since Ravi Shastri and adds a valuable dimension to the team balance.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	26	38	1460	212	50.34	43.62	5	4
List A	20	19	603	121	33.50	79.55	1	4
Twenty20	9	9	161	41	17.88	99.38	0	2

#5 Vijay Zol (19 years 338 days)

Forte: All three formats

The Cooch Behar Trophy is an U-19 all-India tournament famous for unearthing young gems and one of them was Vijay Zol and his mammoth 451* against Assam in 2011. Though there are no official records for these type of matches, it is higher than the highest first-class score recorded by an Indian. Even before playing this match, Zol got candid with Virender Sehwag who was so impressed by the young laddie that he gifted him his bat which Zol is sure ‘he will never play with’.

Zol does not have a bollywood story. Zol is not the son of a poor father and mother nor did he have a difficult childhood. In fact, it was quite the opposite. There are people who whine about the lack of facilities, and there are people like Zol’s family who make their own. Coming from the small town of Jalna, there were not any decent facilities for him to hone his skills. In a gesture transcending immense show of faith, Zol’s father prepared a pitch in their own backyard and hired their own personal coach. Zol gave up studies to concentrate on his game and was ridiculed by the rest of the children of his age.

But the joke soon was on them. A century on First-Class debut against New Zealand A and a double on debut for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy showed his ability to lap up opportunities and not buckle under pressure.

Zol has a Twenty20 century against his name as well, testament of the fact that he can play at a blistering pace if he wants to. This rewarded him an IPL contract with the RCB who rightly believe him to be a sound investment for the future.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	12	19	688	200*	43.00	52.59	2	2
List A	7	7	252	75	36.00	75.22	0	2
Twenty20	11	10	280	109	28.00	127.85	1	1

#6 Jiwanjot Singh (23 years 355 days)

Forte: First Class

Not many may have heard of Jiwanjot Singh. On the flipside, it is impossible for enthusiasts who follow Ranji and Indian domestic cricket to not notice him. After all, an opener with a rock solid technique fairly comfortable in Mohali, the greenest pitch India has to offer, is ‘just what the doctor ordered’ for the Indian team.

Jiwanjot, all of two seasons old as yet, started off with a bang, becoming the fifth Indian to score a century on First Class debut. But what added spice to the innings was the fact that it was scored on a lush green pitch at Mohali and that too as an opener.

But he was not a mere one inning wonder. Jiwanjot Singh missed out on becoming the fifteenth player to score a 1000 runs in a Ranji season by 5 runs. However, he was the highest scorer in his debut season (2012-13), a feat very few have managed to achieve over the years. But the biggest feather in his cap was the fact that his tally of the 995 runs in a Ranji season was the highest by a batsman on debut season in the history of the tournament.

It was obvious that good things would start coming to the lad after such a dream start to his career. Later in 2013, Jiwanjot got his first reward – an opening spot in the A team against the touring New Zealanders. Though he failed to set the stage on fire, constant backing by the selectors really go on to show how highly he is rated in the domestic circuit.

Apart from the aforementioned series, Jiwanjot was selected for the Rest of India team against Karnataka in the Irani Trophy, the A tour to Australia and most recently the Duleep Trophy over various young and experienced players.

Jiwanjot is not the kind to smash the ball over the ropes time and again. In fact, a startling fact is that he has never hit a six in his entire top-tier career! He is the kind of player that takes India’s Test legacy forward rather than playing the IPL. Though there is a visible shortcoming against playing spin, it is only a matter of time before the Punjabi gets his first Test cap. And the manner in which selectors are handling him tells us that it will be sooner than later. India could really do with an opener like him at times like these.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	29	45	2046	213	47.58	49.68	7	7
List A	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Twenty20	1	1	16	16	16.00	100	0	0

#7 KL Rahul (22 years 192 days)

While most people have their mother and father to check whether they are faring well or not, KL Rahul has Rahul Dravid. Yes, the legendary Indian batsman continuously keeps a tab on KL Rahul and monitors his progress very often. It is absolutely needless to even speak about how special he is now.

The Vinoo Mankad trophy (U19 Tournament) is what made him jump into the limelight in the 2008-09 season and he was promptly on the plane to South Africa for the customary U-19 Quadrangular series where he impressed in the very first match with a solid 72 against the hosts.

Another interesting aspect about Rahul is he knows the value of success. After such an amazing start to his career, he was on the bench for the whole of the 2011-12 season for the Karnataka state team. Instead of letting failure demotivate him, he took it into his stride and worked on his batting and glovework. By the time the next season started, the technique was tighter, the angled bat was gone and his glovework became snappier. It is indeed true that players who see craters as deep as the mountains in their careers and come out a stronger person are the ones with indomitable character and belief.

A decent 2012-13 season was followed by a phenomenal 2013-14 where Karnataka went on to win the Ranji trophy. The final though, belonged to this young lad who struck a wonderful 132 as opener to be adjudged player of the match.

There are players who are flamboyant. And then there are a few like KL Rahul who silently go along their way and let the bats do the talking, very similar to his mentor.

Format	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100s	50s
First Class	26	42	1785	158	45.76	48.50	4	8
List A	24	24	925	110	42.04	73.35	2	6
Twenty20	30	24	511	62	23.22	112.06	0	3

#8 Aditya Garhwal (18 years 195 days)

Forte: Too early to make a call

As stated earlier, KL Rahul was initially slated to take this spot, but one cannot help but award it to Aditya Garhwal. Aditya, hailing for Rajasthan is yet to play a single First Class match for his state. In all, he has 7 T20 and one List A games to his credit. But when you score 263*, 196 and 212 in a series, you are bound to be good. When you do so in back to back matches, you are some kind of titan. But when the matches are 50 over games, you are bound to be god’s own child.

Yes, you read it absolutely right. Young Aditya smashed these scores in back-to-back innings in the ongoing Vinoo Mankad (U19) Central Zone Championship, breaking all sorts of records and making more fans than anyone else overnight.

One of these fans happened to be India’s in-form batsman Suresh Raina. Raina was so impressed by the 18 year old that he promptly gifted him a signed bat.

"I think he is a superb player and more importantly a run-machine. But I want him to stay focused and keep scoring like this," Raina said to MAIL TODAY, warning the youngster against complacency.

"What can I say? It's not every day that you get such a special gift. All I can say is that it is the best day of my life. I have been showing the bat to everybody. It shall remain very close to my heart and it surely is a pleasant surprise," the youngster gushed, unable to hide his excitement.

The style of play just had to be compared to Indian batting legend Virender Sehwag. And he is fondly referred to as “Chota-Sehwag” by his coaches and team mates for his ability to play at blazing speed and pierce the off-side field effortlessly akin to Viru Paaji.

“He can pierce the field at will, hit inside-out, kill good balls,” said his coach Sharad Joshi, as praises kept on coming.

The IPL bungle made its sound too, as a rat-race for signing the young lad immediately began after this string of scores.

A very early impression, but certainly everlasting. Not many have seen him bat yet, no match he has played in has been telecast as yet but one can only be left wanting for more after such powerful waves.