India's playing XI from U19 World Cup 2012 final - where are they now?
On this day in 2012, India U-19s defeated Australia U-19s in the ICC U19 World Cup Final to become the new champions. Captain Unmukt Chand smashed a fantastic century in Townsville to help the Boys in Blue defeat the home side and capture the championship.
Current Australian stars Travis Head, Ashton Turner and Gurinder Sandhu were a part of the Aussie playing XI in the ICC U19 World Cup 2012 Final. In this listicle now, we will look at India's playing XI from the big game of 2012, and where those players are now.
Top Order - Prashant Chopra, Unmukt Chand (c) and Baba Aparajith
Prashant Chopra opened the batting for India along with skipper Unmukt Chand. Australia U-19s set a 226-run target for the Boys in Blue. Chopra got out for a seven-ball duck, but Chand scored an unbeaten 130-ball 111*. Number three batter Baba Aparajith scored 33 runs off 38 balls.
None of the three batters have played for India at the senior level. Chand has already retired and moved to USA, where he turned up for Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. Meanwhile, Chopra and Aparajith continue to play for Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, respectively.
Middle Order - Hanuma Vihari, Vijay Zol, Smit Patel (wk) and Akshdeep Nath
Hanuma Vihari and Vijay Zol lost their wickets in single digits. Wicketkeeper Smit Patel supported Chand to perfection with an unbeaten 84-ball 62. Akshdeep Nath did not get a chance to bat in the final match.
Vihari is the only one from the middle-order who has represented India at the senior level. The right-handed batter has represented India in 16 Tests, scoring 839 runs, including one century and five half-centuries. His last appearance for India came in July 2022.
Patel has retired from Indian cricket and moved to USA, just like Chand. Zol has not played domestic cricket since 2019, whereas Akshdeep has been a regular member of Uttar Pradesh team.
Bowlers - Harmeet Singh, Kamal Passi, Ravikant Singh and Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep Sharma was the pick of the bowlers for India U-19s in the U19 World Cup 2012 Final. The right-arm fast bowler scalped four wickets in his 10-over spell. Kamal Passi and Harmeet Singh remained wicketless, while Ravikant Singh took one wicket.
Only Sandeep has earned the Indian cap at the senior level. The fast bowler played two T20Is for India in 2015. He has been one of the most successful Indian bowlers in the IPL as well, playing for Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Harmeet Singh has settled in the United States now. He is currently playing for the Atlanta Riders in US Masters T10 League. Medium pacer Ravikant Singh surprisingly made his first-class debut in 2022 and was dropped after one match from Bengal's Ranji Trophy team, while another medium pacer Kamal Passi has not played domestic cricket since 2016.
How many players from India's U19 World Cup 2012 team made it big?
Only two players, namely Sandeep Sharma and Hanuma Vihari, from the Indian XI of U19 World Cup 2012 Final have made it to the senior team.
Akhil Herwadkar, Roosh Kalaria, Vikas Mishra and Sandipan Das were the other members in the U19 World Cup 2012 squad. Neither of them have made it to the top level yet.