3 U19 World Cup winners who went on to win the senior 50-over World Cup

#2 Virat Kohli

A young Virat Kohli with the 2008 U-19 World Cup trophy

As a young man, Virat Kohli captained the team when India lifted the U19 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in 2008, getting the better of South Africa in the final by 12 runs. Only three years later, he was part of the Indian team that won the senior World Cup under MS Dhoni’s leadership.

Kohli was dismissed for 19 from 34 balls as India crumbled to 159 all out batting first in the 2008 U19 World Cup final. Ajitesh Argal’s splendid figures of 5-2-7-2, however, bowled India to an impressive victory via the D/L method.

Ravindra Jadeja (2 for 25), Siddarth Kaul (2 for 26), Iqbal Abdulla (1 for 26) and Pradeep Sangwan (0 for 14) were the other prominent faces to emerge out of that final.

In the 2011 World Cup final, Kohli contributed a key 35 from 49 balls and featured in a crucial 83-run stand for the third wicket with Gautam Gambhir (97) as India recovered after losing Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar cheaply. Skipper MS Dhoni (91 not out) then played a captain’s knock to clinch the historic victory for India.

Virat Kohli made a crucial 35 in the 2011 World Cup final

Kohli was the third highest run-scorer in the 2008 U19 World Cup. In six matches, he scored 235 runs at an average of 47.00 with one hundred - 100 off 74 in a group match against West Indies.

In the 2011 World Cup, he contributed 282 runs in nine matches at an average of 35.25, with one hundred and one fifty. The century (100 not out off 83) came against Bangladesh in India’s opening encounter in the World Cup at Dhaka.