The ICC Under-19 Cricket world cup has always been a great platform for the budding cricketers of different countries to showcase their potential in front of the cricketing fraternity. We have seen plenty of players graduating from the under 19 stage to make it to the senior team with their brilliant performances.
However, there is a flipside to the story as well. It is true that players like Chris Gayle (top scorer in 1998), Yuvraj Singh (Player of the Tournament in 2000) and Virat Kohli (captain of the winning team in 2008) emerged from the U-19 World Cup but also one mustn’t forget the fact that a significant number never make the cut to the next level.
Even Rahul Dravid, who coached the Indian Under-19 squad in the 2016 world cup, warned his boys saying, “I played for the U-19s in 1991, and was the only one in my team to go on and play for India.”
So, we thought of looking back at the Indian Under-19 squad which won the ICC Under-19 Cricket world cup in 2008 and introspect the mentioned predicament. 8 years down the line, what are the members of that famous squad doing now?
Let’s have a look at those 15 players who were a part of that squad. What have they done after that triumph? Let’s find out.
#1 Virat Kohli (Captain)
The skipper of that triumphant squad Virat Kohli made rapid strides afterwards and has become one of the best batsmen in the world right now. He made his ODI debut for the senior Indian squad in 2008 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla and since then has never looked back.
He is now the captain of the Indian Test squad and the vice-captain of the limited-overs squads. The 27-year-old Delhi lad has gone from strength and strength and became the current poster boy of Indian cricket. He has scored a plethora of runs across the formats to emerge as one of the top cricketers in the world.
Surely Kohli made it large!
#2 Ravindra Jadeja(Vice-Captain)
The deputy of Virat Kohli in that tournament, spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made his ODI debut for the senior Indian cricket team in 2009 and went on to become one of the key members of the squad. Though he struggled initially to come to terms with the rigours of International cricket, he gradually improved to become one of the main spin bowling options for his skipper, MS Dhoni.
Jadeja made his Test debut for India in 2012 and his Test record is pretty impressive as well. He has scalped 68 wickets in 16 matches at an impressive average of 23.76.
Another kid who made it big!
#3 Taruwar Kohli
There was another player with the surname Kohli in that squad. His name was Taruwar Kohli and he was thoroughly impressive in that tournament. The right-handed batsman scored 218 runs which included three consecutive half-centuries and led India through the initial stages of their successful World Cup campaign.
But sadly, he has failed to earn an India cap so far and his record in the domestic tournaments for his state Punjab is not that impressive either. His first class average is 34.39 and his last domestic outing was in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2015 between Gujarat and Punjab at Bhubaneswar, which Punjab lost by 2 wickets. Taruwar played only 4 games in the IPL between 2008 and 2009.
#4 Shreevats Goswami
Taruwar’s opening partner Shreevats, who was also the wicket-keeper of the squad, recorded 12 dismissals in that World Cup and did a decent job with the bat as well. The diminutive young lad plays for Bengal in the domestic circuit and has also played in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore to go along with a stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders as well.
In the presence of MS Dhoni, India never needed a keeper-batsman and that proved to be detrimental for plenty of aspiring wicket-keeper batsmen in India including Shreevats. It was a sheer case of supply exceeding demand as players like Dinesh Karthik, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel and Naman Ojha were in the fray as well.
Shreevats has a decent First Class record as a keeper-batsman but one feels that he still has a long way to go before reaching the next level.
#5 Tanmay Srivastava
The top-scorer of the tournament with 262 runs, Tanmay Srivastava was one of those players who showed early promise but failed afterwards. In 2009, the Uttar Pradesh southpaw was one of the better openers going around in Indian domestic cricket.
Strong performances in the Under-19 level got him a place in the Challenger Series even before he could play first-class cricket for UP. He was contracted by Kings XI Punjab for the IPL, and he followed it up with a strong first-class season, ending as UP's leading run-getter in 2008-09.
However, he couldn’t quite continue his run of form afterwards and features for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic tournaments.
#6 Saurabh Tiwary
A left-handed middle-order batsman was one of the key members of the squad. The Jharkhand lad, who made his first-class debut in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy, got into the scheme of things after his stellar performances for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010.
His domestic form helped him earn an India call-up for the Asia Cup in June 2010 and “Bheem" as he is fondly called by his teammates made his ODI debut against Australia the same year. However, since then he has played only 3 ODIs for the national side.
He was bought for a hefty sum by Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of IPL 2011 but he failed to live up to the expectations as he managed only one fifty from 47 matches. Then a spate of injuries forced him out of the game for some time and his career literally reached the nadir.
However, the 26-year-old gutsy southpaw made some good scores in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy to finish among the top-15 run-getters of the season. Another promising cricketer, who is trying to fight his way back.
#7 Manish Pandey
Another talented middle-order batsman, who didn’t have a great tournament with the bat, will always be remembered as the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. In IPL 2009, the 19-year-old Karnataka cricketer, playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, struck a free-flowing hundred against Deccan Chargers to write his name in the IPL history
But that magnificent performance did not immediately translate into an India call-up as Pandey continued to toil hard in the domestic circuit. In July 2015, six years after that swashbuckling IPL hundred in Centurion, Pandey made his international debut in Harare.
However, Pandey’s moment to fame came in Sydney when he struck his unbeaten maiden ODI century to help India chase Australia's 330 and prevent a whitewash. After that stupendous knock, Pandey will surely look to cement his place in the Indian limited-overs sides.
He, surely, has it in him to make it big.
#8 Iqbal Abdulla
The other left-arm spinner in that squad, Iqbal Abdulla finished as the highest wicket-takers for India along with Ravindra Jadeja and Siddharth Kaul. He took 10 scalps in 6 games and bowled a great spell in the all-important final against South Africa.
After that, the Mumbai spinner, Abdulla's finest season rose to the occasion in the 2010-11 season after taking 27 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. He also claimed 16 wickets playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2011, thus securing the Under-23 player of the tournament award. Abdulla's form took a dip after that season but the young lad rediscovered his mojo in 2013-14 as he helped Mumbai sneak into the Ranji quarter-finals with some crucial performances.
Currently, he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2016 and recently might have played the knock of his life as he and AB de Villiers bailed RCB out of a precarious position to help them reach the final. He surely will want to win this one at any cost.
#9 Pradeep Sangwan
A left-arm medium pace bowler from Delhi, Pradeep Sangwan impressed everyone in that campaign with 8 wickets including a superb spell of 5 for 44 that routed South Africa during the group stages.
He made his first-class debut for Delhi in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy and took 33 wickets at an average of 19.24; which won him a berth in India's squad for the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.
Sangwan's first-class form afterwards was disappointing, to say the least as he averaged over 30 with the ball and as much as 41 in 2009-10.
However, the lowest point in his life came when he tested positive for stanozolol, a prohibited steroid, following a dope test conducted during the 2013 IPL season. He was banned for 18 months and returned to action towards the end of the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy.
Playing regularly once again, Sangwan picked up 32 wickets for Delhi in the 2015-16 season. It was his best haul since his debut season, and it prompted Gujarat Lions to sign him up for INR 20 lakhs at the 2016 IPL auction.
#10 Siddarth Kaul
A right-arm pace bowler, who bowled the all-important final over in the final against South Africa, played a vital part in India's victory with his accurate line and length, which brought him ten wickets at an average of 15.40.
Siddharth made his first-class debut for Punjab in 2007-08, taking 5 for 97 against Orissa, and played alongside his brother Uday.
His career, however, has been marred by a spate of injuries. In the year 2012, he showed glimpses of improved form and fitness, picking up 38 wickets in 13 matches.
The rejuvenated Kaul was signed up by Delhi Daredevils in 2013 but had an ordinary stint with them. He then joined his Punjab team-mate Yuvraj at Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2016 IPL but hasn’t played a game yet.
#11 Ajitesh Argal
The Man of the Match in the final for his outstanding spell of 2 for 7 off five overs, had a disappointing career afterwards. He has more or less faded into obscurity, like many others who star at the U-19 level and then could never replicate those early highs.
The talented young bowler has played only 10 first-class matches for Baroda since making his debut in 2008. He has even failed to feature regularly for his state side because of his average performances and many say he just couldn’t live up to the expectations.
Surely, an epic fall for another young prodigy.
#12 Abhinav Mukund
The left-hand Tamil Nadu opener, who didn't get a game during India's under-19 World Cup victory in 2008, has been one of the consistent performers in the domestic circuit. Before his 20th birthday, he had already scored a triple-century, hundreds on Ranji and Irani Trophy debuts and a quadruple-century opening stand with his opening partner M Vijay.
His penchant for scoring big hundreds earned him an India call-up and he even opened for India after both regular openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were injured before India's tour of the West Indies in 2011. He played 5 Tests for India but couldn’t really his replicate his stupendous domestic form in the international arena.
He was troubled by swing and pace and he soon found him out of the squad. However, he continued scoring runs for his state and this talented southpaw will definitely look to don the Indian colours again, just like his opening partner Murali Vijay.
#13 Duvaruppu Siva Kumar
The Andhra Pradesh medium pacer is plying his trade in the domestic cricket and has an impressive first-class bowling record. He has scalped 110 wickets at a superb average of 18.58 and he is a regular member in his Ranji side.
#14 Perry Goyal
The second wicket-keeper of that squad Perry Goyal, from Punjab, last played a first-class game in 2010. He studied management later in the prestigious S P Jain School of Global Management and he is now a Director at RSG Group, which is into Real Estate Business, as suggested by his Facebook and LinkedIn profile.
#15 Napoleon Einstein
Napoleon Einstein was a part of India's World-Cup winning squad in Malaysia in 2008, although he played only one match in the tournament. He made his debut in the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament in 2006-07 and scored 92 for Tamil Nadu against Kerala as an opener.
But his career simply failed to take off and he played his last match for his state Tamil Nadu in 2014, which was a T20. He hasn’t played a first-class game yet and has only managed to play 2 List A games and one T20 for his state. That goes to show his predicament.
So it seems, the early fame didn’t quite translate into something big for all of them. Only a few could reach the next level and others faded into obscurity. That has been the case mostly and it can be attributed to the simple logic of ‘Supply outweighing Demand’.
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