5 forgotten U-19 World Cup stars of India
The 2020 U-19 World Cup is currently underway in South Africa and will go on till February 9. Over the years, the tournament has thrown up many young talents, some of whom have gone on to represent the senior side with distinction while others have faded away.
In the first match of the current edition, Afghanistan leg-spinner Shafiqullah Ghafari made waves with sensational figures of 6 for 15 as his team stunned South Africa. We can expect a few more names to gain fame by the end of the tournament.
India are the most successful team in the event, having won the trophy as many as four times. Many renowned names like Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja have made the transition to the Indian team having tasted success in the U-19 World Cup. However, there are a few who also could not live up to expectations. We take a look at five forgotten U-19 World Cup stars of India.
#1. Ravneet Ricky
Ravneet Ricky was a highly promising prospect, the second-highest run-scorer in the 2000 edition that India won in Sri Lanka under the leadership of Mohammad Kaif. Ricky amassed 340 runs in eight matches at an average of 42.50 with one hundred and two fifties. Many prominent batsmen from that edition went on to represent their country with distinction. The list includes Graeme Smith, Shane Watson and Yuvraj Singh among others.
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Ricky, however, never played for India and was relegated to domestic cricket. He played 73 first-class matches for Punjab, scoring 4,032 runs at an average of 37.33 with 13 hundreds and 15 fifties. He could not repeat his U-19 exploits at the domestic level, however, and gradually faded away. Ricky last played for Punjab in 2008, at the age of 28.