Ever since its inception in 1988 and then finally getting more regular since 1998, the U19 cricket world cup has acted as a blazing springboard for many talents across the world.
Especially for India, players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and a few others have made their way to the limelight through this tournament and to date it continues to produce superstars of the world.
Other notable monikers that this biennial youth extravaganza has produced include the likes of Kane Williamson, Steven Smith and Tim Southee. However, like the way it has promised hope to countless aspiring cricketers across the face of the planet, similarly, a lot of cricketers have vanished from the limelight that this tournament placed them in.
In fact, the competition is so stiff that stars who actually toted the entire nation on their shoulders lost their way in the middle and are nowhere to be found in the cricketing roster these days. A few have made their names in domestic cricket but for others, it has been a journey to the dark.
Like the way the 2008 U19 World Cup catapulted Kohli to the limelight, similarly, it proved to be the final glimmer of hope for many youngsters who would only g onto fade away in the near offing.
In this story, we will take a quick look at five Indian cricketers who played the U19 World Cup with Kohli but faded away to oblivion.
#1 Tanmay Srivastava
One of the most promising names to lose his track midway to glory was Tanmay Srivastava. One of the most effusive batters of the champion side, he couldn’t make inroads in international cricket and was seen struggling to play consistent knocks. Though he survived in the domestic circuit for Uttar Pradesh, his international efforts were confined to the 2008 U-19 World Cup.
He belted out gilt-edged performances that included the likes of 83 in the opening match against Papua New Guinea, a fine 51 against West Indies and played out a fighting 46 in the final that gave India a respective total to defend in a dampened final. Despite racking up calls from IPL franchises like Kings Xi Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Deccan Chargers, he couldn’t proliferate at a grander scale and had t be sated with the domestic showdowns.
#2 Taruwar Kohli
This young lad was also a very promising moniker in the Indian echelons. He started off with a rambunctious 40 against Papua New Guinea and followed it up with a scintillating 54 against South Africa. He had no intentions of stopping as he racked up another half-century against the Caribbean in the next match.
Taruwar Kohli belted out a phenomenal performance in the following game against England too that saw him pumping a brilliant and an unbeaten 63. Sadly, he couldn’t really come out on top in the semis and the final but he was undoubtedly one of the best performers of India in the tournament. He still plays in domestic cricket for Mizoram but couldn’t make it big at the international level.
#3 Iqbal Abdullah
It will be wrong if we say that he didn’t shine in the bigger stages at all. He did manage to try but couldn’t really live up to the exact expectations. He wasn’t just a bowler but an all-rounder whose first-class figures brag about the highest score of 159 and 213 wickets.
He dished out brilliant performances one after the other that brought down dynasties in the World Cup that started with a rampage against Papua New Guinea where he chronicled figures of 3-1-2-3. Honestly, it is too hard to decipher that which one actually were the runs and hence, let us clear that for you. He conceded two runs and claimed three wickets.
#4 Ajitesh Argal
This youngster could have been an exceptional talent for India in the shorter formats of the game but Argal completely disappeared from the cricket circuit as his last game came in 2015. He came with a few rippling performances that saw India coming out on top throughout the tournament.
He was extremely economical and saved the best for the last. His thumping performance in the final saw him racking up figures of 5-2-7-2 and made life a living hell for the South Africans, claiming the glamorous trophy that also launched the careers of Kohli and Jadeja.
#5 Pradeep Sangwan
Another important moniker in India’s glittering journey to the triumph was Pradeep Sangwan. He wasn’t one of those rollicking names on the list who were absolutely phenomenal, but he kept a severe line of consistency.
Sangwan also made himself some name in the IPL but it wasn’t great enough to catapult him into the international circuit and he slowly started dissociating himself from the sport. However, he found his safe haven in domestic cricket and still performs for Delhi.
