Everyone knows the young big four in Test cricket these days - Steven Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kohli. These superstars have played some magnificent cricket in recent times to earn this tag. However, these are established stars, three of them captaining their side, with huge expectations on them. What about the really young players who look solid, possess a fine technique and look ready to set Test matches on fire?
With the focus on most youngsters shifting to fancy leagues around the world and the word 'freelance cricketer' thrown around with alarming frequency, it is little surprise that players with solid defensive technique and temperament are far and few.
That said, Test cricket is the pinnacle and widely accepted as the most challenging format. Despite old school cricket a dying art, some select few players from across the globe have managed to make their mark in domestic cricket and squeeze into respective Test teams.
These super talented youngsters look to have the right mindset and technique to conquer the world of Test cricket. Here goes a list of young superstar batsmen in World Cricket at the moment.
#1 Kusal Mendis
This super talented batsman came into the Test team at a time Sri Lanka were struggling to replace the legends, Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. He was part of the U19 squad in the 2014 youth World Cup and later made his Test debut for Lanka in 2015 against the visiting West Indian side.
Despite not making a big statement, he was selected for the tour of England, where he scored his maiden Test half-century. The Australian series at home became a turning point for this batsman, as he registered his maiden Test hundred in the first Test at Pallekele. The 176 he made turned out to be a match-winning effort as Sri Lanka registered just their second win in Tests against Australia.
Mendis was named the man-of-the-match for his telling contribution and with the performance has made the no.3 slot his own. He has played 9 Tests to date and averages 37.35 with a century and two half-centuries.
#2 Lokesh Rahul
Rahul started his India career with the 2014-15 Test tour of Australia. He debuted in Melbourne and made his first Test century in the second Test at Sydney. He also went on to register his maiden ODI hundred in his debut match against Zimbabwe in 2016.
Rahul made his first-class debut for Karnataka in the 2010-11 season and plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2013. In the 2014-15 Dileep Trophy final, Rahul made centuries in both innings, which caught the eye of the selectors, who were looking to replace an out of form Shikhar Dhawan.
Though he debuted at no.6 instead of Rohit Sharma, he got elevated to his natural opening slot in the next Test and duly made his first Test hundred. He went on to register Test hundreds in Sri Lanka and West Indies, opening the innings. His highest Test score is the 158 he made against West Indies in Jamaica in the second Test of 2016 on the tour to the Carribean.
He has played 9 Tests and averages 37.84 with three centuries to his name.
#3 Temba Bavuma
On 5 January, 2016, this South African youngster made history by becoming the first black cricketer to score a Test hundred for South Africa. He made an unbeaten 102 against a visiting England side in the second Test at Cape Town.
Bavuma made his first-class debut for Gauteng against Eastern Province. In the 2010/11 season, he made his entry into the Lions franchise and made 242 runs in four innings including a match-winning hundred. He became a mainstay in the Lions line-up, notching up some fine numbers in the succeeding seasons.
He played five matches for the South African A side before making his South Africa debut against West Indies in 2014. Despite heavy criticism thrown at the selectors, accusing the selection of being a quota one, Bavuma was quick to silence them with his on-field performances.
He impressed in a difficult tour to India, even vouching to open the innings in one Test. He returned to his familiar middle-order spot for the home series against England and compiled a fine century in Cape Town in the second Test.
He averages 38.30 in 9 Tests, with one hundred and one half-century.
#4 Dhananjaya de Silva
The young Dhananjaya de Silva, a batting all-rounder, made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series against Australia at home. He had already played T20s and ODIs for Lanka, having made his limited overs debut against Ireland in an ODI in June, 2015.
He became the first player for Sri Lanka to get off the mark in a Test match by scoring a six. It turned out to be a sign of things to come. In the Third Test, he walked in with Sri Lanka struggling at 26/5. He joined hands with the experienced Dinesh Chandimal and the duo compiled a fine century partnership to rescue the hosts. The partnership turned out to be a match-turning one as Lanka whitewashed the touring Australian side.
Dhananjaya was the highest run scorer in the series, scoring a remarkable 325 runs at an average of 65 with a century and a half-century. He has also replaced the retiring Dilshan in the opening slot for the following ODIs and starred with a 76 in his first match as an opener.
#5 Tom Latham
Tom Latham, the son of former New Zealand cricketer, Rod Latham, made his Test debut in 2014 against India. He had already made his ODI debut two years earlier. After a silent debut series against India, he scored heavily in West Indies, making 288 runs in three Tests with three half centuries.
By mid-2014 he had claimed the opening slot from Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton. His first Test century was achieved against Pakistan in November, 2014 where he scored 103. He followed it up with another century in the next Test, making a fighting 137.
He was named in the 2015 World Cup squad as a backup wicket-keeper to Luke Ronchi. In the tour of Australia in 2015-16 Trans-Tasman Trophy, he became the first batsman to score a half-century in a day-night Test. He also scored back to back hundreds in New Zealand's tour of Zimbabwe, making 105 and 136.
Latham has played 22 Tests, averaging 38.85 with 5 hundreds and 7 half-centuries.
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