[Watch] Throwback to when captain Unmukt Chand smashed 111* as India beat Australia to win the 2012 U19 World Cup
Unmukt Chand led front the front as India beat Australia in the 2012 U19 World Cup at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville eleven years ago on this day, August 26. He emerged as the Player of the Match for his match-winning hundred.
Chasing 226, Chand smashed an unbeaten 111 off 130 balls, including six maximums and seven fours. The right-handed batter also shared a 130-run partnership with Smit Patel to rescue his team from 97/4.
Earlier, India restricted Australia to 225/8 in their allotted 50 overs, courtesy of a four-wicket haul against Sandeep Sharma.
It was India’s third U19 World Cup win. With his ton, Chand also finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 246 runs in six games at an average of 49.20.
Watch Unmukt Chand's ton below:
With the victory, Unmukt Chand joined Mohammad Kaif and Virat Kohli among successful captains to lead India to the U19 World Cups. Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull also joined the elite list in 2018 and 2022, respectively. The 50-over tournament is played every two years.
Unmukt Chand announced his retirement from Indian cricket in 2021
Despite a stellar U19 World Cup, Chand failed to continue his exploits with the bat in his limited opportunities in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He scored just 300 runs in 21 games and failed to get into the reckoning of international cricket.
In 2021, Chand announced his retirement from Indian cricket to participate in overseas T20 leagues like the Big Bash League (BBL), and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Chand recently played for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the inaugural Major Cricket League. He managed to score just 58 runs in four games. He also flopped in the BPL, managing just 37 runs in four games.
The 30-year-old had earlier scored 35 runs in his two outings for Melbourne Renegades in the 2021/22 BBL.
Chand has played 67 first-class games for Delhi scoring 3379 runs in 67 games, including eight tons and 16 half-centuries. He also played 120 List-A games, scoring 4505 runs at an average of 41.33, including seven centuries and 32 fifties.