3 Indian players from U19 World Cup who can play for senior team in future

Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Kuldeep Yadav and there are quite a few more in this list. They all have something in common and that is all of them are stars from different editions of the Under-19 World Cup. They shot into the limelight during that tournament before taking it to the highest level.

These players transitioned beautifully from age-group cricket. Different cricketers took different time spans but there are plenty of cricketers who have played for India in the Under-19 World Cup and have gone on to play for the national team.

The recently concluded Under-19 World Cup had a number of Indian players who stepped up in the tournament. But this is where the tough period starts as the players go through the transition from Under-19 cricket to domestic cricket to the ‘A’ level and finally, the international stage.

Hence, there were multiple stars, but here we pick three Indian players from this Under-19 World Cup who can make it to the senior men’s team:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal

There’s absolutely no doubt that Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the first player almost everybody’s list. Given his talent and performances, everybody is backing him to make it to the senior team in the near future. He is one player who made things happen on the field during the Under-19 World Cup. In fact, it was very hard to keep him out of the game. Runs, catches and wickets – you name it and he’ll deliver.

The left-handed opener had a brilliant run in the World Cup. He amassed 400 runs from six innings which included four half-centuries and one hundred. In fact, Jaiswal was never dismissed for a score under 50 and his lowest score in the tournament was 29 not out. Moreover, he showed that he could operate in various gears according to the situation.

The Uttar Pradesh-born cricket who plays for Mumbai can bowl as well and he was the golden arm for India in this World Cup. Jaiswal has already featured in 13 List ‘A’ games and one first-class game. He’s already smoked a double ton as well in 50-over cricket, becoming the youngest ever to hit a List ‘A’ double century.  He averages 69.30 in Youth ODIs and 70.81 in List ‘A’ cricket.

2. Ravi Bishnoi

India had the leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker from the Under-19 World Cup in their side. Ravi Bishnoi was another star that emerged and created headlines. Match after match, the leg-spinner gave India vital breakthroughs and even bowled some match-winning spells. He was the one leading India’s charge with the ball in the final.

Bishnoi finished the tournament with 17 wickets at an average of 10.64 and a strike-rate of 18.3. He picked up three four-wicket hauls and was India’s best bowler. More than his leg-breaks, it was his googlies that were a lot more threatening and he relied on that variation quite a bit throughout the tournament. Overall, Bishnoi picked up 39 wickets at an average of 15.35 from 18 Youth ODIs.

The 19-year-old who hails from Jodhpur showed some great control and discipline as well. Moreover, he has played a handful of List ‘A’ and T20 games (across two seasons of the Syed Mushtaq Ali) for Rajasthan as well. The ability and the talent is evident and given India’s liking towards leg-spinners over the last few years, Bishnoi might definitely come into the picture if he keeps up with his performances.

3. Kartik Tyagi

Over the last few years, India has produced a battery of fast bowlers. Also, they’ve developed a habit of producing a few in the Under-19 World Cups as well. Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan in the 2016 edition while the trio of Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Ishan Porel shot into the limelight in 2018.

Now, in 2020, there is Kartik Tyagi. The others were impressive too but Tyagi stood out. The Uttar Pradesh-born pacer bowled with express pace and was very consistent as well. He hit the 140 kmph mark on a regular basis and rattled the opposition batsmen with pace. He can also nail the yorker at pace and is pretty consistent at it as well.

Tyagi picked up 11 wickets at an average of 13.90 in the Under-19 World Cup and was India’s premier fast bowler. He has already made his first-class debut and that was back in October 2017 where he picked up three wickets in the match on debut. He even played a few List ‘A’ games that season, picking up nine wickets (from five games). However, a freak injury cut put him on the sidelines for a long time. But he seems to be fit and firing now and is definitely one to look out for.