For any cricketer, under-19 is the stepping stone to make it big in the cricketing world on the international stage. The under-19 World Cup presents the perfect opportunity for aspiring cricketers to showcase their talents in front of a global audience. Team India is the most successful team in the history of the under-19 World Cup, having bagged the title on four occasions.
Here, in this article, we bring you five Indian cricketers who bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at under-19 World Cups. Have a look:
1. Yuvraj Singh 2000 under-19 WC:
Yuvraj Singh, who is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen, became the first recipient of the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award in the under-19 World Cup. Though the tournament was happening for the third time that year in 2020, but it was the first time when an award like this was presented.
Throughout the tournament, Yuvraj Singh gave brilliant performances and scored 203 runs at a decent average of 33.83, along with an amazing strike rate of 103.57. Yuvraj not just shine with the bat but he was brilliant with the ball as well. He gave an even bigger contribution with the ball as he went to scalp 12 wickets with an impressive average of 11.50 while giving away just 3.39 runs per over.
Yuvraj Singh was named the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his all-round performances throughout the tournament.
2. Shikhar Dhawan – 2004 under-19 WC:
The second Indian to bag the ‘man of the tournament’ award at an under-19 World Cup. During the world cup tournament of 2004, Shikhar Dhawan the most runs by any batsman in a single edition of the u-19 tournament, i.e, 505 runs at an impressive average of 84.16 and with an excellent strike rate of 93.51.
Team India was knocked out of the 2004 under-19 World Cup as Pakistan chase down the target with 5 wickets in hand. But Shikhar was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his 505 runs, including 3 centuries.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara -2006 under-19 WC:
Cheteshwar Pujara was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award in 2006 under- 19 World Cup. Opening the innings for India, the Saurashtra batsman scored 349 runs in the tournament at an average of 116.33.
Cheteshwar started the tournament with a blistering 66 in India’s first group stage match against Namibia. India successfully defeated West Indies by 126 runs to help India make it through to the semi-finals.
At the end of the match, India found itself at the receiving end in the final but Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudicated as the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his impeccable batting performances in the tournament.
4. Shubman Gill – 2018 under-19 WC:
For the first time in this Under-19 World Cup, Shubman Gill is dismissed for fewer than 50 https://t.co/cMG6fKfCnt #AUSvIND #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/hRHcUHmlYP
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 3, 2018
During the 2018 under-19 World Cup, Shubman Gill bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’. It was after a gap of 12 years when an Indian cricketer won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. Shubman Gill turned out to be top run-scorer in the tournament with 372 runs to his credit, with his average and strike rate being 124.00 and 112.38 respectively. He impressed one and all with his impeccable consistency and sublime stroke-play that caught the eyes.
5. Yashasvi Jaiswal – 2020 under-19 WC:
Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes just the third batsman to score five half-centuries in an Under 19 Cricket World Cup ? #U19CWC | #INDvBAN | #FutureStars pic.twitter.com/vtIiZ3Gejn
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 9, 2020
During 2020 under-19 WC, Yashasvi Jaiswal bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, scored 400 runs in the tournament at an outstanding average of 133.33. Yashasvi started the tournament with a brilliant knock of 59 runs as India defeated Sri Lanka by 90 runs in their first group stage encounter.
During the quarter-final clash against Australia, Jaiswal gave a match-winning knock and scored 62 runs and helped India chased down a lowly target of 42 runs. He followed that up with an undefeated 57 runs in the final group stage clash against New Zealand, with the Indian cricket team by 44 runs by D/L methods. In the finals, Yashasvi Jaiswal played a patient knock of 88 runs against Bangladesh in the finals.
