India’s All-time best U-19 World Cup XI

Virender Sehwag-  The swashbuckling opener’s selection in 1998’s U-19 squad came after the boy from Najafgarh scored a brilliant 274 against South Zone, playing for North Zone, in the 1998-99 Duleep Trophy season. Though India couldn’t manage to make an impact in the tournament under the captaincy of Amit Pagnis, his consistency on the domestic circuit earned him a place in the national team. He went on to score 15 centuries, 38 half-centuries and a double ton in 251 ODIs at an average of 35.06 and ended his career as one of its history's all-time great cricketers. Sehwag's flamboyant style of play captured the imagination of the entire nation and made him the most-prized wicket in a line-up that had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid. Despite Shikhar Dhawan edging him ahead with sheer numbers, he could never create the menace that Sehwag was able to instil in the opposition camps. It should be noted that the southpaw has plied his trade on a more docile surface compared to Sehwag, who changed India’s way of opening forever on the toughest of tracks and against the fiercest of bowlers.

Yuvraj Singh- Like Kohli, Yuvraj was a regular in India’s U-19 squad before he represented the U-19 side in the 2000 U-19 World Cup. Under the captaincy of the mercurial Mohammad Kaif, the all-rounder was brilliant as he got 68 off 62 and 4/36 against New Zealand in a group stage match and a quick-fire 58 off 25 balls against Australia in the semifinal. The gates were wide open for him in the national squad as he travelled with the Indian squad for the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. The world took notice when an 18-year-old stood up against the likes of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, scoring 84 runs. He soon became a regular for the Men in Blue and has played 304 ODIs so far scoring 14 centuries and 52 half-centuries. He was a lynchpin in India’s 2011 World Cup title and although not a regular in the side anymore, Yuvraj still has an outside chance to represent the country in 2019 World Cup.

Dinesh Karthik (wk)- India have never really been blessed with classy wicketkeepers from the developmental tournament. Only two, Nayan Mongia and Dinesh Karthik, have emerged from it with none of them making it big for the national team. While Mongia was a regular in the 90s for India, he didn’t have an MS Dhoni to deal with during his career, who has taken a major chunk of the limelight from Karthik. Though a more successful wicketkeeper than Karthik, Mongia was never the batsman Karthik is. The Tamil Nadu batsman was selected in the 2004 U-19 WC at the back of his domestic display, where his crucial 70 runs from 39 balls against Sri Lanka helped India reach the semis before they lost to Pakistan. The fierce competition with Dhoni was further piled by Karthik’s inconsistencies over the years and he still remains a non-regular in the Indian squad. He has played 79 ODIs for India scoring nine fifties at an average of 29.92.

Ravindra Jadeja- Making his first U-19 at the age of 16 in 2005, Jadeja was selected in the 2006 U-19 World Cup where India finished runners-up to Pakistan. He came back stronger in the following instalment of the tournament in 2008, where he claimed 10 wickets in 6 games at an average of 13 as the vice-captain, leading India to the title. However, the all-rounder still needed a phenomenal showing in the 2008–09 Ranji season, where he took 42 wickets and scored 739 runs, to get his international call-up in a tour of Sri Lanka. Jadeja has been a significant cog in India’s wheel during the Dhoni era, where he has played 136 ODIs, scoring 2244 runs and claiming 155 wickets. Though Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal have kept him out of the limited-overs format at the moment, he will be the first name to come to mind, if BCCI has to look elsewhere.  

Irfan Pathan- Even before making his appearance in the 2002 U-19 World Cup, Pathan was a big name at the junior level. And he didn’t disappoint when got selected in the tournament either, where he took six wickets at 27.50 and scored 30 runs at 15.00, taking 2/18 in a win over South Africa. His meteoric rise at the lower level continued before he was selected in India’s 2003 tour of Australia. Pathan has, since then, played 120 ODIs for India, claiming 173 wickets and scoring 1544 runs.   

Jaydev Unankat- Playing in the 2010 U-19 World Cup squad, Unandkat came into limelight after his IPL stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010. KKR bowling coach, Wasim Akram, had described him as a talent for the future, but the bowler has failed to deliver on every big occasion so far. He has taken eight wickets in seven ODIs so far, but the 26-year-old still has time and fitness to make it big in the coming years.