4 Indian U-19 World Cup-winning captains – Where are they now?

India has never had a dearth of cricketing talent even at the junior level, which is the reason why they have won the U-19 World Cup four times so far -- the most by any team in the history of the tournament. They have announced a very strong squad for the next edition, going to kick off in South Africa on 17th January 2020, as well.

The captains of these Indian U-19 teams over the years all played a key role in their team winning the trophy. The charge of the team this time around is in the hands of Priyam Garg.

Garg, who comes from a humble family background, has played age-group cricket in his state (Uttar Pradesh) and has come through the ranks with outstanding performances at each level of junior cricket. The 19-year-old is a right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler and has already played 12 first-class matches (in which he averages 66.07 with the bat).

While the expectations are very high from the current India U-19 captain, let’s talk about the four former World Cup-winning colts leaders and what they are up to these days:

#4 Prithvi Shaw (2018)

Prthivi Shaw - 2018 U-19 World cup winner

Prithvi Shaw was the captain of the Indian U-19 team that won the title for a record fourth time in New Zealand in 2018. Shaw was among the top ten in the list of the leading run-scorers in the tournament as he scored 261 runs in six games at an average of 65.25.

It didn’t take Shaw long to earn a senior team call-up afterward as he was named in the Indian squad for the Test series against West Indies in October 2018. He made his Test debut straightaway and justified his selection with a hundred in his very first innings.

With a total of 237 in the series, Shaw almost cemented his place as the first-choice opener in the Indian Test team and was all set to open the batting for the country in the next series against Australia. But, an injury in the warm-up game ruled him out for a few weeks before he was handed an 8-month ban for doping violations.

Shaw had to remain away from the game for a large part of 2019 due to the injury and the ban, but he recently returned to action for his domestic side Mumbai and performed brilliantly at the top of the order in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 20-year old is currently playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.

#3 Unmukt Chand (2012)

Unmukt Chand - 2012 U-19 World cup winner

Unmukt Chand is the only India U-19 World Cup-winning captain who has not gone on to play for the senior team yet. He had played a match-winning knock for India in the final of the tournament which took place in Australia.

Chasing a score of 225 posted by the hosts in the final, Chand made the difference single-handedly, scoring 111 runs off 130 balls as India hunted down the target in 47.4 overs to lift the trophy for the third time.

He has had a decent first-class career ever since, as he has scored 3235 runs in 62 first-class games at an average of 33.35 with eight hundreds to his name, but, unfortunately for him, this not been deemed good enough by the senior team selectors to give him a call-up.

Chand emerged from the junior ranks of Delhi cricket, but has now made a move to the neighboring state of Uttarakhand and is currently the captain of the state's Ranji Trophy team.

#2 Virat Kohli (2008)

Virat Kohli - 2008 U-19 World cup winner

2008 was the year when cricket fans from all around the world took notice of Virat Kohli as he led the Men in Blue to the U-19 World Cup triumph with his inspiring leadership in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It was not just Kohli’s leadership which was noticed in the tournament, but also his ability with the bat which caught people’s eyes. He was the second-highest run-scorer for India as he scored 235 runs in six games at an average of 47.00 and a strike rate of 94.75.

Kohli has since made rapid strides, making his international debut at the senior level the very same year and has become arguably the world's best batsman in recent times.

He has scored more than twenty thousand runs in international cricket across all formats, with 70 hundreds and 101 fifties to his name.

The stylish right-hander is currently the captain of the senior side after taking over the reins from MS Dhoni.

#1 Mohammad Kaif (2000)

Mohammad Kaif - 2000 U-19 World cup winner

Mohammed Kaif led India to U-19 World Cup glory in 2000 in Sri Lanka. It was the first time ever that India became the world champions in junior cricket.

Thereafter, he went on to play for the senior team of India for a considerable period of time. Although, he didn’t have a very impressive Test career, he was a vital cog in the Indian ODI side from 2002 to 2006.

Kaif’s most significant contribution for India was his innings of 87 in the final of the 2002 Natwest Trophy against England, where he played a pivotal role as India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His composure under pressure in the latter stages of the game was exemplary. The 'Natwest final' innings is still afresh in the minds of fans as it remains one of the most memorable ODI innings played by an Indian batsman ever.

In total, Kaif played 125 ODIs for India and scored 2753 runs at an average of 32.01 and a strike rate of 72.03. The 39-year-old is a television commentator these days and is also serving as an assistant coach for the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.