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The Under 19 stage is the place where all the actual grooming of a player begins. Whether it’s the Under 19 World Cup or any other Under 19 tournament, it is the place where the youngsters are exposed to different conditions against different opponents and have access to the elite panel of coaches. The Under 19 World Cup was no different than the previous ones, as we witnessed some of the best talents in action, who have already made a place for themselves in the cricketing fraternity. 

Yet again, the junior Indian team made it to the final just like the last four editions, which makes the Indian team the most successful team at the Under 19 level. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dewald Brevis, Dunith Wellalage, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh and a lot more were already famous before making their International debut because of their extraordinary performances at the junior level. 

In the recently concluded Under 19 World Cup, a truckload of runs were scored, and a lot of wickets were taken. Let’s look at the major contributors as seen in the Under-19 World Cup who possess the skillset to don their senior national jersey soon. 

Kwena Maphaka (South Africa)

From the home of greats like Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and many more, Kwena Maphaka is already making strides in the cricketing world with his remarkable performances. 

The 17-year-old, Mephaka, is a 6-foot-tall left-arm seamer who stunned the opponents with his bowling mastery. He went on to pick 21 wickets in just six games and helped the Proteas reach the semifinals of the Under 19 World Cup. With a breathtaking average of 9.71, he was nothing short of a lethal gun for the Proteas. Even in the semifinals against India, he scalped three wickets for just 32 runs in his 10 overs. 

Uday Saharan (India)

The Indian captain, Uday Saharan, was the highest scorer of the Under-19 World Cup 2024, with 397 runs under his belt in just seven innings, maintaining a healthy average of over 56. With his extraordinary performances, he led the team from the front, taking them to the finals of the tournament. 

The 19-year-old Uday is a right-handed technically sound middle-order batter and has showcased patience and resilience every time he came out to bat. Even when the whole team fell apart, he stood tall like a wall and played a vital knock of 81 runs in the semifinal alongside Sachin Dhas, who also scored 96 runs, helping India reach their ninth final in the tournament’s history. 

Tanzeem Ali (England)

After Rehan Ahmed and Shoiab Bashir, it seems like England have managed to manufacture another spin-bowling machine in the 17-year-old Tanzeem Ali. Despite playing just four games, Tanzeem managed to make it to the leading wicket-takers chart with 14 scalps under his belt. 

Whether it was his leg-spin delivery or the googly, the batters were bamboozled against him. Against Zimbabwe, he went on to take a seven-wicket haul for just 29 runs in his whole spell. With this much recognition, Tanzim will get enormous exposure in domestic cricket. 

Harry Dixon (Australia)

The 18-year-old Australian opener, Harry Dixon, was one of the key contributors to Australia’s triumph at the Under-19 World Cup 2024. Dixon is a left-handed opener and played a crucial role in giving perfect starts to the Aussies, and even scored 48 runs in the Final against the Indian team.

With three half-centuries in seven innings of the Under-19 World Cup, Harry Dixon managed to amass 309 runs with a healthy average of 44.14. The Southpaw has shown promising signs and needs a bit of grooming, which will eventually come as he will carry on to play more and more matches at the domestic level. With his skill set, he can be the future opening batter of the Australian team. 

Sachin Dhas (India)

A perfect middle-order batter and a go-to man, Sachin Dhas has played the most crucial role in India’s run to the final of the tournament. Whenever the team needed him, he stood up and delivered. In the semifinal game, while chasing the total, India were in a bad position, already being four down before even reaching the 30-run mark. Sachin with his mastery, played a gem of an innings and went on to score 96 runs. 

With one century and one half-century, Sachin was the backbone of the Indian team, smashing 303 runs in seven innings with an average of over 60. Undoubtedly, he will soon be seen shining at the domestic level and eventually make it to the Indian team. 

Ubaid Shah (Pakistan)

Pakistan’s Pace factory continues to produce ruthless fast bowlers, and in this tournament, it was Ubaid Shah. Coming from the family of Naseem Shah, who is already the core member of the Pakistan senior team’s fast bowling line-up, Ubaid’s pace and skills are hereditary. 

The right-arm medium bowler scalped 18 wickets in just six innings and has turned out to be an amazing asset for the Pakistan team in their run to the semifinals of the Under 19 World Cup 2024. With a bowling average of just over 12, he possesses some serious fast-bowling skills and can be soon seen playing with his brother for the national team, who also made his debut at a very young age. 

Saumy Pandey (India)

India is known for producing exceptional spinners, which is evident by the number of legendary spinners India have produced in the history of cricket. This tournament also brought our attention towards the young left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey. Not only he was the most economical bowler of the tournament, but he was also the second highest-wicket-taker. 

With 18 wickets under his name in just seven games with an amazing average of just over 10, Saumy played a key role for the Indian team to reach the final. The 19-year-old Saumy will undoubtedly be in the plans for many franchises in the IPL and even make a strong contention for the Indian team in future owing to his consistency. 

Jamie Dunk (Scotland)

Just like the senior team, Jamie Dunk, the 18-year-old made a statement at the Under 19 level that Scotland are roaring for much-needed recognition. Even though his team could not make it to the latter stage of the tournament, he did everything in his capacity to help the team. 

In just four innings Jamie hammered 263 runs with an amazing average of over 65, including three half-centuries and the highest score of 90 against the fiery South African team. In no time, Jamie will be seen playing for the senior team, owing to his exceptional skills with the bat. 

Musheer Khan (India)

The brother of Sarfaraz Khan, who is known for his exceptional track record in domestic tournaments, Musheer Khan, has announced himself at the Under 19 level with a truckload of runs in the tournament. He also became the only batter to smash two centuries in this edition of the World Cup. 

With a couple of centuries and one half-century, Musheer maintained an impressive average of 60 throughout the tournament. His family and fans would hope for his arrival on the international stage, unlike his brother, who recently received his maiden Test call-up after years of smashing runs consistently. He also possesses some bowling skills, which will be an advantage to him going forward. 

These were the young guns full of enthusiasm and hunger, who would soon be seen at the greatest level, and all they need to do is, keep playing the way they are and focus on how to get better to achieve the ultimate goal. 

Image source– ICC Twitter/ X handle

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