In his very second match and first innings, the 19-year-old from Punjab scored an enthralling 84 against the best bowling attack in the world. Yuvraj Singh had arrived with a thunderous bang.
Mohammad Kaif and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Man of the Match in the final against Sri Lanka, too were to play prominent roles in Indian cricket in the years after 2000 when Ganguly started building a young team after the match fixing saga. While Kaif went on to form a lethal partnership with Yuvraj in the middle order and on the field before fading away, Sodhi lost his way altogether after raising hopes of giving India her first genuine all rounder since the merry years of Kapil Dev.
Ajay Ratra, the wicket keeper in the world conquering U19 team of 2000, also went on to play a few Test matches and in fact even scored a ton in the West Indies.
Eight years down the lane, the young brigade still continues to impress. Ishant Sharma has given Ricky Ponting some of the worst memories of his cricketing career. Throughout the Test series and the Commonwealth Bank Series the 19-year-old pacer has tormented the Australian skipper with his bounce and movement.
Indian cricket is standing on the threshold of history all over again. India have been outstanding with their consistency in the 2008 U19 World Cup in Malaysia. Virat Kohli’s side is on its way to repeat history.
No comments:
Post a Comment