India's top 5 moments in U19 World Cup history
India, the defending champions of the U19 World Cup, will look to not only add another trophy to their cabinet but to also maintain their reputation as one of the most dominant sides in U19 World Cup history.
India are the most successful side in the U19 World Cup's history, having won in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, and 2022, and finishing as runners-up thrice.
India's tournament opener against Bangladesh will therefore not only kick off their title defense but also provide a first glimpse of the cream of the next generation.
Not only India, but emerging talents from 16 teams are also gearing up to compete for the coveted title in South Africa.
The U19 World Cup tournament began in 1988 and has seen seven different winners in 14 editions so far. Over the years, the tournament has gone through many iterations, providing a foundational stage for many of the game’s superstars.
With so much success in this age group, the Indian U19 World Cup contingent tasted many victories and failures, while at the same time giving us many memorable moments to cheer about.
In this article, we will list down some of the best and most memorable moments of Indian U-19 World Cup teams across the years.
India's top 5 moments in U19 World Cup history
#5. Tasted the Maiden Success in 2000
Sri Lanka became the first Asian country to host the tournament when they hosted the third edition of the tournament.
Host Sri Lanka met India in the finals of the tournament, and the latter got their hands on the trophy for the first time after defeating the hosts by six wickets in the final.
India, led by Mohammad Kaif, won every game of the tournament, with Yuvraj Singh named Player of the Tournament for his stupendous performance with both bat and ball in the World Cup.
#4. The Underdog Triumphs in 2012
The 2012 U19 Cricket World Cup hosts, Australia, were clear favorites to win their fourth title.
India, for the first time, were not considered in the race for the trophy, but they emerged victorious in the final against the hosts to win their third U19 World Cup, tied for the most wins with Australia.
Skipper Unmukt Chand played a match-winning knock of 111* in 130 balls with the help of six sixes and seven fours, with Sandeep Sharma also excelling with the ball picking up four wickets in the finals.
#3. The dominance continues in 2022
The 2022 U19 Cricket World Cup was held in the West Indies. Indian prodigies continued to shine in the tournament, with them sealing a final berth against England.
It was a duel between two cricketing powerhouses. England, on a tough surface, got 189 runs under their belt.
They had runs on the board but India held their nerves to achieve the target with vital contributions from skipper Yash Dhull and Dinesh Bana.
#2. The U19 World Cup which gave the world a phenomenon called Virat Kohli in 2008
It was India's second U19 World Cup win, which came in Malaysia in 2008. It was the first time the tournament was held in an Associate Member country.
The big guns Australia and England had forgettable campaigns, coming up short against the big teams after making mincemeat of the minnows. The defending champions, Pakistan, did make it to the semifinals but couldn't manage to pass the South African hurdle.
India, under Virat Kohli, had been playing some outstanding cricket at the time and had defeated South Africa in the league game.
But it was a new game for both teams. Indian batsmen found themselves at bay against the disciplined South African pacers, who used damp conditions perfectly to bundle their opponents for 159 runs.
But they were up against Virat Kohli's men, who weren't giving up without a fight. With rain interruptions, South Africa were given 116 runs to chase in 25 overs. South African batsmen once again succumbed to the pressure of knockouts and only managed to get 103 runs.
India lifted the U19 World Cup trophy after eight long years, a testimony to Virat's leadership skills.
#1. Ending the World Cup drought for a legend in 2018
It's always been a question of "why" and "how" for fans, as a player of the caliber of Rahul Dravid does not have a World Cup.
But this regret turned into an escalation when Dravid, as a coach, led a bunch of youngsters to one of the most dominant U19 World Cup triumphs in its history.
Dravid nurtured a batch that turned out to be the golden U19 generation for the national side, including skipper Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, and Arshdeep Singh.
India steamrolled into the finals without any fuss and defeated the mighty Australian team without breaking any sweat by 8 wickets.