The Indian U -19 team is all set to take on England in the finals. It is the sixth consecutive final for the Indian team, indicating the strong roots of Indian cricket. As Ayush Mhatre leads the team to the finals, the in-form Indian players will surely look forward to winning the last step to increase the trophy count to six.
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Previously, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull had placed their hands on the trophy. Will Ayush Mhatre be the new one in the elite list? Time will answer it.
Let’s take a look at India’s previous under-19 winning campaigns:
- In the 2000s, Mohammad Kaif led the Indian team to the first-ever U-19 trophy. Playing the final against Sri Lanka, the Indian team chased down 179 runs in just 40.4 overs. Yuvraj Singh ended as the player of the series; other than him, the team had players like Ajay Ratra and Venugopal Rao.
- Virat Kohli led the Indian team to its second successful under-19 World Cup campaign in 2008. They defeated the star-studded South African team in the finals, players like Reeza Hendricks, Wayne Parnell, and JJ Smuts were there. For India, players like Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, and Sourabh Tiwary experienced the moment on the ground.
- India defeated Australia in the 2012 U-19 World Cup, where captain Unmukt Chand smashed a blistering century and made 111 runs. Along with Unmukt Chand, players like Baba Aparajith and Hanuma Vihari were also in the squad who experienced the winning stage. India chased down 226 runs with ease. Ashton Turner and Travis Head were a part of the winning squad.
- Maybe the best squad India has sent to the U-19 World Cup so far, the team was filled with future stars. Shubman Gill remained the highest run scorer of the tournament and won the man of the series award. Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Sharma, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Manjot Kalra and Ishan Porel were among the stars who lifted the trophy for the fourth time in 2018.
- Yash Dhull and company won the trophy in 2022, defeating England in the finals. Nishant Sindhu, Shaik Rasheed, and Raj Bawa were the players who made it possible for the fifth time.
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As India is aiming for its sixth successful U-19 campaign in their sixth consecutive finals, eyes will be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, who are coming with big reputations. Along with them, players like Aaron George, Kanishk Chauhan, Vihaan Malhotra and Abhigyan Kundu will be important and as stan lee said, “With great power comes great responsibility," the modern-day boys will surely look forward to taking their game on next level as much as possible.
