The 2018 ICC Under-19 World Cup, held in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3, 2018, was a triumphous one for India. The Boys in Blue beat their Australian counterparts by 8 wickets in the finals to claim their fourth under-19 title. The 16 members of the victorious India Under-19 squad have gone on to emulate varying levels of success in their senior careers. Let’s take a look at where they are now.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw was the captain of the Indian team in the tournament, and the Mumbai native has gone from strength to strength since then. Since making his debut for the senior national team, he made history in 2018 by becoming the second-youngest Indian player since Sachin Tendulkar to score a Test century.
Presently, in the IPL 2024, Prithvi Shaw a part of Delhi Capitals, has been injured for the season. He is also a regular for his native Mumbai in domestic competitions.
Shubman Gill
The vice-captain of the under-19 team Shubman Gill is one of the most recognisable talents in Indian cricket at the moment, captaining the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024. The right-handed opening batter holds several records for the senior national team, becoming the youngest player to score a double century in the ODI format, scoring the highest runs for an Indian batter in T20I matches, and also becoming the fastest player to score 2000 runs in ODI matches.
Harvik Desai
Desai is one of several members of the Under-19 team who have yet failed to make the transition to the senior team. The Bhavnagar native has played for the Saurashtra team in several competitions such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Ranji Trophy, as well as making his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2019.
Aryan Juyal
Aryan Juyal has been a regular for the Uttar Pradesh team in the domestic circuits, after performing brilliantly in the 2017 Challenger Trophy. He has since made his First Class debut for Uttar Pradesh, as well as his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in 2019. Juyal was even picked up by the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 but failed to make his debut.
Manjot Kalra
Kalra was the start of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, with his match-winning century earning him the Man of the Match trophy. Following his performances, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018, even though he did not get on the field.
The following years have been tough on Karla’s career, as his parents was investigated by the Delhi Police on charges of fabricating his age. Following this, he was released by the Mumbai Indians in 2020, and he was suspended from the Ranji Trophy for a year. Kalra finally made his List A debut for Delhi in 2021.
Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag was backed up by none other than Rahul Dravid ahead of the Under-19 World Cup, but the feisty batter suffered an injury that kept him out of the early parts of the tournament and affected his performances. However, he soon regained his form to become the leading run-scorer for his native Assam in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
His scintillating domestic form led to Rajasthan Royals picking him up ahead of IPL 2019. In that tournament, he became the youngest player to score 50 runs in the competition’s history. He has since maintained his stature as an IPL regular, also holding the record for the most number of catches by a non-wicketkeeper in a single season of the competition.
Himanshu Rana
Rana started his first-class career at the age of 16 with a team-topping 80 runs innings for Haryana in 2015. Since then, he has made his List A debut in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, as well as scoring the highest number of runs for Haryana in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy.
Abhishek Sharma
Sharma is a rising star in the IPL this year after his stellar performances, including the fastest fifty for his team Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 27 against Mumbai Indians. He has been a consistent performer for the Orange Army building on his 426-run season in IPL 2022. The hard-hitting batter turns out for Punjab in domestic cricket.
Anukul Roy
The left-arm spinning all-rounder was a star of the Under-19 World Cup, becoming the joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition. He has failed to reach such heights in the IPL, where he has played sporadically for his team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
His domestic performances for Jharkhand have been better, with him ending up as the highest wicket taker in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. He has also been a member of India B’s squad in the 2019-20 Deodhar Trophy.
Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh has been another member of the under-19 squad who has since made his mark in the senior team. The Punjab domestic team’s star bowler made his national team debut in 2022 in a T20I match against England, where he not only took the final two wickets but also became only the third Indian bowler to bowl a maiden over in his debut.
Arshdeep’s stellar performances saw him getting picked up in India’s 2022 T20 World Cup, where he took a wicket against Pakistan with his very first delivery. He finished the tournament with 10 wickets – India’s highest tally. He has since played six ODI matches and 40 T20Is for the Men in Blue. With IPL 2024 as an audition, Singh will look for a spot in the T20 WC.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Since the Under-19 World Cup, Nagarkoti has seen his cricketing career stagger due to persistent injury problems. The Rajasthan-based pacer has been a part of the IPL since 2018 after getting picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders but failed to play in the first two seasons due to injury concerns. After making his debut in 2020, he also played for the Delhi Capitals in 2022, but was unsold in IPL 2024.
Nagarkoti has also tasted some international action, travelling with the senior team for their Australia tour in 2020, but he was eventually ruled out of contention due to workload issues.
Ishan Porel
Porel has been a regular for the Bengal team in domestic cricket formats, playing in 27 First Class matches as a medium pacer since making his debut in 2017. Ishan Porel has, however, failed to bring that form to the IPL, where has played sporadically, last turning out for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2022. Porel has also travelled with India in a couple of tours, though he is yet to make his senior debut.
Shiva Singh
The left-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh has been a part of the domestic circuit since making his debut in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, though he has found it difficult to become a regular fixture.
Shivam Mavi
The right-handed pacer from Noida made history in 2023, when he became the third Indian player to take four wickets in his T20I debut, registering a figure of 4/22 against Sri Lanka.
Mavi made his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders on the back of the Under-19 World Cup victory in 2018, and has since gone on to play in 32 matches. After missing the entire 2023 season with injury for Gujarat Titans, he was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 6.4 crore ahead of IPL 2024.
Aditya Thakare
Thakare was a belated member of the Under–19 team, joining later as cover for the injury-hit Ishan Porel. The right-arm medium bowler has been a regular fixture for the Vidarbha domestic team since making his Ranji Trophy debut in 2017, playing in 24 First Class matches and raking in 72 wickets.
Pankaj Yadav
Yadav was an unused member of the Under-19 World Cup squad and played only one match for the Boys in Blue in the Under-19 Asia Cup in 2019. He has played for the Jharkhand under-19s but is yet to make his senior domestic debut.
Editors pick
