3 best all-rounder talents from India's 2024 U19 World Cup campaign ft. Musheer KhanÂ
The Indian U-19 team's campaign at the 2024 U19 World Cup came to a disappointing end, courtesy of a 79-run defeat against the Australian outfit in Benoni on Sunday. The Uday Saharan-led side dominated throughout the league and the Super Six stage and made it to the final for the sixth time in a row following a tense two-wicket win over South Africa.
Despite the stumble at the last obstacle, the Boys in Blue can be proud of their efforts, with both bat and ball. Saharan led from the front as he ended as the tournament's leading run-scorer, while Saumy Pandey was the second leading wicket-taker in the competition, only behind South Africa's Kwena Maphaka.
With the pure batters and bowlers dominating the proceedings throughout the entire event, the all-rounders did not have a major say in terms of volume, but they still managed to make their presence felt across both departments.
On that note, let us take a look at the three best all-rounder talents from India's 2024 U19 World Cup campaign.
#1 Musheer Khan
Sarfaraz Khan's younger brother, Musheer Khan, made the headlines with his two sublime tons at the 2024 U19 World Cup. Apart from his solid batting at No.3, he is also a capable left-arm spinner.
His accurate line and length, coupled with his easy-going action made him a regular feature in the middle-overs for Team India besides other frontline spinners.
Musheer ended up as the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament with 360 runs in seven innings at an average of 60.00 and a strike rate of 98.69. As far as his bowling display is concerned, he took seven wickets at an average of 26.57 with an economy rate of 3.63.
He bowled a solid spell in the final as well, finishing with figures of 1-46 off his nine overs, dismissing Raf Macmillan in the process.
#2 Arshin Kulkarni
The pace bowling all-rounder perhaps did not do complete justice to his talent at the 2024 U19 World Cup, but he is still a very promising candidate and one to look out for in the coming years. Opening the batting alongside Adarsh Singh, he was a vital part of Team India in the build-up to the tournament.
Kulkarni scored a hundred in the contest against the United States of America, but apart from that, his returns with the bat were quite mediocre. He finished the tournament with 189 runs in seven matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 71.32.
With the new ball bowlers Naman Tiwari and Raj Limbani being prolific with the new ball and the spinners taking control as well, Kulkarni was not required to bowl too many overs. He was not brought to bowl at all in the early clash against Ireland as well as in the final against Australia.
He bowled a total of 17 overs in the entire tournament, picking up four wickets at an average of 16.75 with an economy rate of 3.94.
#3 Murugan Abhishek
The youngster's primary role with the side is that of a bowler, but he is quite capable with the bat as recently witnessed in the 2024 U19 World Cup final against Australia. He put in an all-round display for India, firstly with the ball where he bowled 10 overs and conceded only 37 runs. He then stepped up with the bat to score 42 runs although the contest was sealed in Australia's favor before he arrived at the crease.
In a day and age where even the No.8 batter is required to contribute something to the score, Murugan Abhishek is a perfect candidate from that perspective. He scored a fighting half-century in the ACC Under 19 Asia Cup semi-final against Bangladesh U19 as well, which proves that he is quite capable with the bat.
His spin bowling is also very reliable in terms of keeping things tight rather than a strike bowler, as he delivered a total of 37 overs in the tournament for India, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 3.35.
Is there a chance for any of the aforementioned players to feature in the IPL or the Indian senior team in the near future? Let us know what you think.