5 cricket wonderkids from India in the last decade

Indian cricket has always been rich in terms of producing cricketing talent, batsmen in particular. While most of them are identified when they emerge on the first-class or List A scene or perhaps in Under-19 cricket, there are some who show early signs of their prowess by performing on an extraordinary level from a very young age.One of the greatest examples of Indian cricket’s wonder kids is someone who became a legend in world cricket later on, Sachin Tendulkar. Over the past decade or so, there have been a number of instances of Indian school kids excelling beyond all expectations and coming up with record-breaking feats. The most recent addition to this list is, of course, Pranav Dhanawade, who scored the first 4-digit individual score in any form of cricket on Tuesday.Here are 5 such wonder kids from the past few years, apart from Pranav Dhanawade:

#1 Pranav Dhanawade

Indian crickets latest wonderkid emerged just a few hours ago in Mumbai and his name is Pranav Dhanawade. He achieved what no batsman anywhere in the world has ever done in any form of cricket whatsoever, scoring 1000 runs in a single innings.

Pranav was unbeaten on a score of 1009 off just 323 deliveries and had to stop only because his team decided to declare at 1465 for 3. The 15-year old boys tsunami-like knock consisted of 59 sixes and 129 fours and took the cricketing world by storm.

Yesterday itself, Pranav Dhanawade broke the record for the highest ever score in any type of cricket when he surpassed a certain AEJ Collins who had scored 628 in a match 116 years ago in 1899. He added another 357 runs to his overnight tally of 652 on his way to the first individual 4-figure mark in cricket history.

Only time will tell how far Pranav will go in his cricketing career, but for now, he has at least etched his name in cricket history.

#2 Prithvi Shaw

In November 2013, a 14-year old youngster from Mumbai named Prithvi Shaw broke the record for the highest individual score in Indias minor cricket. Prithvis innings of 546 runs came in as few as 330 balls and included 85 boundaries and 5 sixes.

He achieved this feat in a Harris Shield match for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis DAssisi and played a big hand in his team gaining a mammoth 899-run lead in the first innings. It was also the first ever individual score of 500 plus in any form of school cricket in India.

Prithvi Shaw has since received a lot of support from all quarters to further his cricketing career and has even played some cricket in England due to being associated withSunil Gavaskar's Professional Management Group.

There are a lot of expectations being built around young Prithvi and it will be interesting to see if he lives up to them.

#3 Armaan Jaffer

Nephew of Indias great first-class batsman Wasim Jaffer, Armaan Jaffer is one of the most sought after youngsters in Indias domestic circuit. Armaan first came into prominence in the year 2010 when he battered a record breaking 498 for Rizvi Springfield School against IES Raja Shivaji School in Mumbais Giles Shield tournament.

In the process, he broke the record for the highest individual score in Indian school cricket and hisknock came in 490 balls including 77 boundaries. That was just the beginning for Armaan Jaffer and he has done many other remarkable things since then as well.

This season, in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, Armaan achieved a feat ofthree consecutive double hundreds and four consecutive centuries as well. The younger Jaffer looks all set to enter the big league and we will hope that he surpasses his uncle Wasim.

#4 Sarfaraz Khan

Young Sarfaraz Khan has already gained a lot of popularity in Indias cricket circles with his exploits for Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Indian Under-19 team. However, it all began for him as a 12-year old when he scored 439 for Rizvi Springfield in the Harris Shield tournament in 2009.

It sent Sarfaraz crashing into the record books for registering the then highest score in Indias school cricket. The knock came in 421 deliveries and included 12 sixes and 56 boundaries. The youngster has not looked back since as he continues to make a name for himself.

Sarfaraz Khans first-class is already underway and he also became the youngest player to take part in the IPL. To add to it, he is part of the Indian Under-19 team and is dueto represent India in the Under-19 World Cup.

#5 B Manoj Kumar - Mohammad Shaibaz Tumbi

In November 2006, two 13-year olds from Hyderabad named B Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Shaibaz Tumbi recorded a partnership of 721 runs in a 40-over encounter. On course to their monumental stand, the two broke many a record but none greater than one held by Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli.

The legendary batsman and his best friend had set the record for the highest partnership ever in any form of cricket when they put on 664 for their school in the 1988 Harris Shield competition. But the duo of Manoj and Shaibaz eclipsed this record by a country mile.

Playing in an Inter-School Under-13 tournament, they started the innings for St. Peter’s High School and finished it as well with the score reading 721 for 0. The opponent team was blown away for a paltry 21, leading to a 700-run victory for their school.

Not much has been heard about B Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Shaibaz Tumbi post that, but they did send many heads tossing on that eventful day.