There will be enormous pressure on the shoulders of young Priyam Garg when he leads the India Under-19 side to the World Cup in South Africa that gets underway on 17 January. Besides being defending champions of the biennial trophy, India are the most successful team in the tournament’s history with four titles under their belt.
Garg will thus be expected to follow the footsteps of some Indians greats — Mohammad Kaif (2000), Virat Kohli (2008), Unmukt Chand (2012) and Prithvi Shaw (2020) — when he leads the side in the 16-team tournament.
India are clubbed in Group A along with traditional powerhouses Sri Lanka and New Zealand besides tournament debutants Japan.
India will take on Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament on 18 January at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.
India will have their task cut out but should have things easy en route qualifying to the Super League stage (top two teams from each group qualify).
They have had a prolific run of late having won the under-19 Asia Cup in September and then emerged winners of the Tri-Nations tournament in England where Bangladesh had joined as the third team. They also clinched the quadrangular series in South Africa on Thursday beating hosts South Africa in the final.
The under-19 World Cup has often been the platform that has produced talents for the future. Besides the likes of Kaif and Kohli, among other Indians to have recently made a mark for themselves include the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Ishan Porel and Ishan Kishan.
Their performances in the Under-19 World Cup, coupled with a consistent run in domestic circuit has also helped quite a few earn big bucks as Indian Premier League franchises have splashed cash to rope in the young talents.
There are quite a few exciting talents who will don the Indian jersey at the upcoming edition of the tournament as well, although the spotlight will be on Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal. Here’s a look at a few top names:
Yashasvi Jaiswal
From selling pani-puris to make ends meet to donning the national jersey, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s journey is one right out of what seems like a good movie script on paper. However, the talented left-handed batsman has ensured it’s more than just a rags-to-riches tale.
The 18-year-old rewrote record books last year when he became the youngest to score a double hundred in Vijay Hazare Trophy when he smashed 203 off 154 deliveries for Mumbai against Jharkhand. An attacking left-handed batsman, Jaiswal was swooped up by Rajasthan Royals for as much as Rs 2.4 crore in the IPL auction.
Priyam Garg
The skipper of the India Under-19 side, Priyam Garg has already earned plaudits for his fine strokeplay and composed technique. Although he’s just 19, Garg is already a regular for Uttar Pradesh in first-class cricket and has featured in 12 matches so far, scoring 867 runs at an average of 66.69.
Garg has been in fine form for the India U-19 side as well and recently scored a century against South Africa in Durban. In the recently concluded Quadrangular series, which besides South Africa also featured Zimbabwe and New Zealand, Garg scored 131 runs, at an average of 43.66.
Ravi Bishnoi
Quite like Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi too triggered a bidding war and will be plying his trade for Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The young leg-spinner was snapped up by the franchise for a whooping Rs 2 crore.
Although it might sound like splashing a lot on a cricketer who has played just six List A games, Bishnoi’s ability to turn the ball both ways besides having a vicious googly in his artillery makes him a special talent. He picked up five wickets in three matches of the recent Quadrangular series in South Africa.
Atharva Ankolekar
Son of a bus conductor from Mumbai, Atharva Ankolekar can be expected to pair up with Bishnoi to run riot in the opposition line-up given he has been in fine form of late. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Ankolekar had led India to clinch the Under-19 Asia Cup last year, picking five wickets for just 28 runs in the final.
It became all the more significant as India had put up a below-par 106 on the board before the bowlers, led by Ankolekar, bundled Bangladesh for 101. In the Quadrangular series as well, Ankolekar shone with the ball in the final, picking four wickets.
Other groups:
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria and West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland and Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa and United Arab Emirates
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