Heartfelt Journey of India's U19 World Cup 2024 Squad

The 2024 U19 World Cup has kicked off on 19th January 2024 in South Africa. India started their journey with an 84-run win over Bangladesh at Mangaung Oval. Following the spectacular start, eyes will be set on these young players. India are the most successful side in the U19 World Cups as they have won five titles, thus far.

Looking back at India’s rich history in this tournament, expectations are high from these teenagers who are representing the country in the ongoing competition. The junior ICC tournament has given dignified players such as Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shubman Gill. The current India U19 players will look to be exceptional in the ongoing tournament to serve the senior Indian cricket team in the future. The boys playing for India in the competition have worked hard to be there and it’s crucial to have a look at their excellent journey. 

Here is the journey of 11 India U19 players who are in South Africa for the 2024 World Cup

1. Uday Saharan (Captain)

Uday Saharan was born on September 9, 2004, in Ganganagar, Rajasthan. His father Sanjeev Saharan is an Ayurvedic doctor. At the age of 11, he shifted to Fazilka, Punjab to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. Saharan is the skipper of the team in this competition. Back in 2022, when India lifted their fifth U19 trophy, Saharan was a part of the reserves.

2. Saumy Kumar Pandey (Vice-Captain)

Left-arm spinner Saumy Kumar Pandey is appointed Saharan’s deputy for this competition. Pandey was born in November 2004, in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. His parents are in the teaching profession. Saumy has played U14 and U16 levels of cricket for his state.

3. Arshin Kulkarni

All-rounder Arshin Kulkarni comes from Solapur, Maharashtra. His parents are doctors and they always supported his dream to become a cricketer. Arshin’s coaches spotted his cricketing talent and advised his father Atul Kulkarni to take him to Pune. In December 2023, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) signed him up for INR 20 lakh in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league. 

 4. Aravelly Avanish Rao

Aravelly Avanish Rao is serving the team as a wicketkeeper-batter in the ongoing competition. The stumper-batter is known for his aggressive batting skills. Recently, he made his domestic debut for Hyderabad in the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Aravelly went under the hammer in the 2024 IPL auction and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fetched him for his base amount of INR 20 lakh. 

5. Musheer Khan

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan’s brother Musheer Khan is also a part of the squad. His all-round excellence will be essential for India to fare well in this competition. In the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, he featured in Mumbai’s squad along with his elder brother and recorded his domestic debut against Saurashtra in December 2022.

6. Adarsh Singh

Left-handed opener Adarsh Singh looked superb as an opener in India’s first game against Bangladesh. He produced a 76-run knock from his bat and played his part well. Adarsh hails from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. In the Uttar Pradesh (UP) T20 League, he represented Kanpur Superstars. In the past, he has also captained Uttar Pradesh U19 side.

7. Rudra Patel

Rudra Patel, who comes from Gujarat, attracted a lot of attention when he smashed a double century at the age of 13 in a one-day game. Rudra possesses brilliant batting skills and his performance in the 2023 Challenger Trophy corroborates it. In the junior one-day tournament, he hit a couple of tons for India C.

8. Innesh Mahajan

Innesh Mahajan is with the team as a backup wicketkeeper-batter. The left-handed batter’s family shifted from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra to Uttar Pradesh’s Noida in 2002. He started playing the sport at the age of six and later scored big runs for his team in junior cricket. England’s former opener Alastair Cook is his idol. 

9. Sachin Dhas

Sachin Dhas comes from Maharashtra’s Beed. He was named after Sachin Tendulkar as his father is a huge fan of Indian batting legends Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. He was coached in Beed by Sayyed Azhar. Dhas is known for his aggressive batting in the middle order. In the 2023 U19 Asia Cup, he played a fine knock of 58 off 42. In the Maharashtra Premier League, he played for Kolhapur Tuskers. 

10. Raj Limbani

Pacer Raj Limbani grabbed attention after his performance against Nepal in the 2023 U19 Asia Cup. He registered 7/13 figures with the ball and guided the team to a convincing 10-wicket win. The Vadodara-based speedster has looked consistently disciplined with the ball in junior-level competitions.  

11. Priyanshu Moliya

Priyanshu Moliya made his first-class debut for Vadodara memorable with his stunning batting performance in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy. He hit back-to-back tons in his debut Ranji tie and became the second from the Gujarat state to do so after Nari Contractor. Earlier, in 2018, he became popular for scoring 556 runs off just 319 deliveries in a U13 game. Following this innings, India’s 1983 World Cup champion Mohinder Amarnath showered praise on him.