Xtra Time Web Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup and the preceding tri-series in South Africa. Uday Saharan has been appointed as the captain, tasked with defending the title secured in the previous edition under Yash Dhull’s leadership.
The U19 World Cups has given rise to so many Indian stars like Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Md Kaif, Ravindra Jadeja to name a few. In the last edition we saw the emergence of Yash Dull, Raj Angad Bawa, Vicky Otswal and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Let us look at five promising cricketers in the India U19 cricket team that has been selected for upcoming tri-nation series and World Cup who can make it big in senior level.
Musheer Khan: All eyes will be on this youngster who has already impressed in the domestic circuit. 18-year-old Musheer, who is also the brother of Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, has already played three first-class matches for Mumbai. He has done exceptionally well in the recently concluded quadrangular series where he scored 127 runs off 47 balls and took two wickets. He was also the third highest scorer in the Under-19 Challenger Trophy with 268 runs at a strike rate of 108. Last year, Musheer led Mumbai to the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy, where he was named Player of the Tournament for his 670 runs and 32 wickets.
Uday Saharan: The cricketer from Rajasthan is being named the captain of India U19 side for the upcoming U19 World Cup. Uday is currently captaining India at the U19 Asia Cup in Dubai. The 19-year-old was the highest scorer at the Under-19 Challenger Trophy held in Guwahati last month. He made 297 runs in four innings, with four half-centuries and a best of 93 not out.
Rudra Mayur Patel: He was one of the top run-getter in the quadrangular series. The 17-year-old cricketer from Gujarat in fact, has scored 192 runs more than any other batter in the competition, having amassed 497 runs in 6 innings at an average of 124.25 and strike rate of 118.61.
Raj Limbani: The medium pacer from Baroda bowled an incisive spell to record the brilliant figures of 7/13 as India defeated Nepal to clinch a semi-final berth in the U-19 Asia Cup cricket tournament. The lanky 18-year-old can swing the ball in both ways at decent pace.
Arshin Kulkarni: Maharashtra all-rounder Arshin Kulkarni is another player to watch out for. Arshin impressed bowls medium pace and is a top-order bat. Following his MPL exploits, Kulkarni played for Maharashtra in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
It goes to be seen who among these talented cricketers can make it big in the next stage. Defending champions India are placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, Ireland, and USA. The India U19 boys will kickstart their campaign against Bangladesh on January 20.