Top 3 Indian players with most wickets in a single edition of U19 World Cup ft. Saumy Pandey

The recently concluded edition of the Under-19 World Cup saw Australia lift the coveted cup for the fourth time in the tournament’s history. They beat five-time champions India in the final to register a dominating victory.

The Indian players put up dominating performances, both with the bat and the ball, in the tournament. While three Indians were part of the top five run-scorers of the tournament, Saumy Pandey was India’s stand-out bowler, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.

Over the years, several players have put up memorable and remarkable performances and gone on to play for the senior national teams of their respective countries. This year was no exception either, and some of the young guns will surely be seen donning their national jerseys soon.

Many players from the current batch of the Indian national team were once part of the U19 circuit. Kuldeep Yadav, one of the finest spinners on the side currently, stood out for the U19 side in the 2014 edition of the tournament.

Similarly, Ravi Bishnoi, another deadly spinner of the white-ball, was part of the U19 team in the year 2020. His performance caught the selectors’ attention and he soon found himself a place in the senior team.

Many Indian bowlers have dominated the U19 setup over the years, and on that note, let us look at the top three Indian bowlers with the highest number of wickets in a single edition of the U19 World Cup.

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#3 Anukul Roy - 14 wickets, 2018

Anukul Roy attending pressser during U19 World Cup 2018

In the 2018 edition of the U19 World Cup, India’s Anukul Roy finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmed and Canada’s Faisal Jamkhandi. Courtesy of a fine average of 9.07 from the six matches that he played, Roy managed to top the wicket-taker’s list in India’s victorious campaign.

Roy has still not found a place in the senior team, however. The now 25-year-old represented Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and currently is a part of Jharkhand’s domestic setup.

Three other Indian bowlers finished with 14 wickets to their account in the past editions. Shalabh Srivastava picked up 14 wickets in U19 World Cup 2000 at an average of 17.57 and a brilliant economy of 3.91. He registered figures of 3/33 in the final against Sri Lanka as India lifted the cup.

Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav also picked up 14 wickets in the 2002 and 2014 editions of the U19 World Cup, respectively. While the former finished with an average of 14.4 and an economy of 3.51 in seven games, the latter had an average of 16.42 and an economy of 4.14 in six games.

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#2 Ravi Bishnoi - 17 wickets, 2020

Ravi Bishnoi celebrates wicket during India v Australia - T20I Series: Game 3

Though India could not lift the title in 2020, Ravi Bishnoi, one of the finest spinners in India’s white-ball setup currently, finished with 17 wickets to his name. He was not just the highest wicket-taker for India but also topped the wickets chart of the tournament in that edition.

In six games, he racked up 17 wickets while also registering the best bowling figures of 4/5 in the tournament. Bishnoi maintained an average of 10.64 and an economy of 3.48 as the Men in Blue finished as the runner-up.

Bishnoi then put up some fine performances in the IPL and grabbed the selectors’ attention to finally earn his international call-up in February 2022. He has been a regular in India’s T20I setup since and will also be one of the contenders to make it to India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

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#1 Saumy Pandey - 18 wickets, 2024

One of the rising stars in the circuit currently, Saumy Pandey impressed everyone with his bowling techniques in the recently concluded edition of the U19 World Cup.

He put up consistent performances and finished with 18 wickets to his name, the highest by an Indian bowler in a single edition of the U19 World Cup. The left-arm spinner picked up at least one wicket in all the seven games that he played for the team.

Saumy Pandey picked up three four-wicket hauls in the tournament and registered his best bowling figures of 4/19 in the game against New Zealand. Pandey averaged 10.27 in the tournament and finished with one of the best economy rates of 2.68 among all bowlers.

Though India could not defend their title and ended up losing to Australia in the final, players like Pandey, skipper Uday Saharan, Musheer Khan, and Sachin Dhaas, among others, put up eye-catchy performances and have a very bright future ahead.