With just two wickets remaining and an inconceivable 103 runs needed to win the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final on Sunday, India’s Naman Tiwari assured his batting partner, Murugan Abhishek, that even if they lose, they will not go without learning.
Australia finally won the title, scoring 79 runs. However, Tiwari’s comments were caught up on the stump mic and went popular on social media. Like him, Indian supporters appeared to grasp that the World Cup at this level was not about winning or losing, but about teaching the boys valuable lessons for their senior careers.
And, with India’s fourth loss in an Under-19 World Cup final (out of nine appearances, which is also a record), there have been many players who lost the big game but went on to become stars. There are five of them listed here:
5. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s Test opener and most recent double-centurion, is widely regarded as one of cricket’s most inspirational stories.
After moving from Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai and making due with meager resources, the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa was his first big break. And the lefty certainly made an impression.
India didn’t win the final against Bangladesh, but Jaiswal shined. He managed 400 runs over six games, averaging 133.33. Jaiswal also took three wickets and was named Player of the Series.
Not long after, the Rajasthan Royals picked him up in the IPL. Jaiswal thrived, upping his game each season to become a key powerplay batter. His reputation as a solid player grew in 2023, leading to his debuts in Test cricket and T20Is. There, he solidified his standing.
The 2020 batch also included Tilak Verma, Ravi Bishnoi, and Dhruv Jurel. While Bishnoi is India’s leading leg-spinner in T20Is, Verma has made his international debut, and Jurel might partner Jaiswal in India’s third Test against England.
4. Rishabh Pant
India’s final loss to West Indies in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup was a turning point. It was a cradle for many future cricket stars. Most of these players now play in IPL teams or are just a step away from national selection.
Out of these stars, the most shining is Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batter. The left-handed opening batter comes second to Sarfaraz Khan, scoring 267 runs with an average of 44.5. Pant’s run scoring speed, 104.29, topped the chart among the top 15 in the competition. It clearly marked the dawn of a promising cricket career.
Pant, like Jaiswal, had an immediate impact in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals, and his ability to remain unfazed in the face of the finest international bowlers earned him a call-up from India in 2017. Over the following five years, he struggled and amazed fans in equal measure, finally becoming a heartthrob after winning Tests with the Gabba.
His mishap late in December 2022 has kept him out of play since, and he is anticipated to return in the IPL 2024. If he continues where he left off, Pant might soon be in negotiations to become India’s next Test captain.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
In 2006, India and Pakistan faced off in a significant Under-19 World Cup final. It also marked the first time India would lose to Pakistan in this tournament’s final.
The final was filled with unexpected twists. Pakistan, boasting players like Sarfaraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim, was limited to 109 runs in the first half of the 50-over match. India, possessing robust batting, looked set to surpass this score effortlessly, but a startling collapse saw six wickets fall for just nine runs. The remainder amounted to 71 runs.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the second wicket to go, with the opening ball of the second over. However, the right-hander finished the World Cup as the leading run-scorer, with 349 runs at an average of 116.33, and was named Player of the Tournament.
Four years later, he made his Test debut against Australia, scoring a half-century, and has never looked back.
Thirteen years later, he is no longer in the lineup, but he has 7195 Test runs in 103 matches at 43.60, including several match-winning performances across the world. He is currently considered as one of the top number threes in Indian Test history, and the successor to Rahul Dravid’s ‘wall’ nickname.
2. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja grabbed three wickets for 16 runs on a ground that offered something for every bowler. He was the second-highest wicket-taker after Piyush Chawla, who took 4/8, and, despite his brief career, won the 2011 World Cup with the senior squad at home.
This tournament marked the beginning of Jadeja’s transition from a ‘bits and pieces’ player to a legitimate all-rounder for India. Rajasthan Royals signed him for the first IPL season in 2008, where he largely featured as a hitter, earning him a spot on India’s ODI and T20I squads in 2009.
He was in and out of the team for the following four years, ultimately cementing his spot during the 2013 Champions Trophy as an efficient and wicket-taking orthodox spinner across formats with some batting talent.
More work on his batting, incredible consistency in his bowling, and unrivaled agility on the field propelled him to the top ranks of Test all-rounders worldwide. He currently has more over 6,000 runs and 500 wickets for India.
1. Rohit Sharma
In contrast to Jadeja, Rohit Sharma played as an all-rounder in the Under-19 World Cup, taking a wicket in the final with his off-spin. However, batting at No. 3, he was out for four. Overall, Rohit Sharma was India’s third-best batsman in the tournament, with 205 runs at 41.
MS Dhoni selected Rohit Sharma for the 2007 T20 World Cup, which India again won. Deccan Chargers recruited him for the IPL in 2008, where Rohit Sharma played as an all-rounder, but an injury forced Rohit Sharma to become mostly a batter by the time he joined the Mumbai Indians in 2010.
Later, Dhoni propelled Rohit Sharma from the middle order to the top, where Rohit Sharma became one of the finest in the world in white-ball cricket, scoring three ODI double centuries and five T20I centuries, and establishing himself as one of the world’s most feared big hitters.
In the second portion of Rohit Sharma career, he was appointed captain of all forms. Rohit Sharma guided India to the 2023 World Cup final last year and is poised to do it again in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Currently, Rohit Sharma is captaining India in the Test series against England, where Rohit Sharma is also the senior batter.
