5 India U-19 World Cup stars who failed to make it big in international cricket ft. Prithvi Shaw
India's 2024 U-19 World Cup campaign starts today against Bangaldesh U-19. They are placed in Group A which also includes Ireland U-19 and USA U-19. The Men in Blue are the defending champions and have won a record five U-19 World Cups.
A lot current stars for the Men in Blue like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have made their way to the senior team after playing U-19 cricket. However, not all U-19 stars make it big in international cricket.
Here are five India U-19 World Cup stars who haven't had a glittering career for the senior team yet:
#1 Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw is a generational talent and has been highly rated in the Mumbai cricket fraternity for a decade. He was the 2018 U-19 World Cup-winning captain. The opener scored 261 runs at an average of 65.25 and a strike rate of 94.56 in that tournament.
The Delhi Capitals batter has struggled with his fitness and has been involved in off-field controversy. Still only 24, Shaw has time to make a prosperous international career for himself, but is way down the pecking order at the moment.
#2 Unmukt Chand
While Prithvi Shaw can turn around his international career, the captain of the 2012 India U-19 World Cup team cannot. Unmukt Chand scored 246 runs at an average of 49.20 and a strike rate of 75 in the tournament. He also scored an unbeaten 111 in the final against Australia U-19.
Chand's career never really took off after that and he struggled in the IPL, despite being given chances by three franchises. The 30-year-old announced his retirement from Indian cricket in 2021 and is playing global T20 leagues since then.
#3 Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan burst onto the scene at a very early age. In fact, he played in two U-19 World Cups for India, in 2014 and 2016. The Mumbai batter scored 355 runs in the 2016 U-19 World Cup at an average of 71 and a strike rate of 86.79.
Since then, he has impressed in the domestic circuit, especially in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. However, he hasn't made his international debut yet. Considering he went unsold in the IPL 2024 auctions, it is unlikely that he will make it big in ODIs or T20Is.
#4 Tanmay Srivastava
Tanmay Srivastava was the leading run scorer in the 2008 U-19 World Cup. He scored 262 runs at an average of 52.40 and a strike rate of 77.51. India won that tournament, led by Virat Kohli. The team also consisted of Manish Pandey and Ravindra Jadeja.
Despite having such a stellar U-19 World Cup, Srivastava didn't make it to the senior team. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2020. The 34-year-old played for Bhilwara Kings in Legends League Cricket in 2022.
#5 Sandeep Sharma
India haven't had many world-class bowlers who have come through the U-19 system. Sandeep Sharma is one of the better pacers who had starred for India in the 2012 U-19 World Cup but couldn't go on to earn a place in the senior team.
The swing bowler picked up 12 wickets in six matches an at average of 15.75 and a brilliant economy rate of just 3.62 in the tournament. He has enjoyed a succesful IPL career, picking up 124 wickets in 116 matches. The 30-year-old played two T20Is against Zimbabwe in 2015 but picked up just one wicket and conceded 73 runs in seven overs.