5 young cricketers who grabbed the limelight in 2024 ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sam Konstas

The year 2024 is coming to an end. Many young cricketers made their debuts this year. However, not all of them could impress in the international cricket arena.

The competition for a place in the national team has increased so much that the selectors cannot give too many opportunities to one player. At the same time, a young cricketer can become the talk of the town after producing memorable performances in the initial matches of his career.

In this listicle, we will look back at five young cricketers who grabbed the limelight in 2024.

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#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal was the best young cricketer of 2024

23-year-old India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal announced his arrival in the Test arena in 2024. The southpaw smashed two double centuries in the home Test series against England. To end the year, Jaiswal hit a ton against Australia in Perth and two half-centuries in the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne.

Overall, Jaiswal scored 1,478 runs in 15 Test matches, averaging 54.74. His highest score was 214*. Besides, Jaiswal was also a part of India's squad that won the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

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#2 Saim Ayub

22-year-old Pakistan batter Saim Ayub emerged as the top run-scorer for his country in ODIs in 2024. The left-handed batter from Karachi recorded two centuries for Pakistan in the away ODI series against South Africa.

He has aggregated 515 runs in just nine ODI innings, averaging 64.37. Notably, he has maintained a strike rate of 105.53 in the 50-over format. Ayub also made his Test debut in 2024 and recorded three fifties.

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#3 Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Another Asian batter to feature on the list is Afghanistan's 23-year-old wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The Afghanistan star was the highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup played in the USA and West Indies. With 281 runs in eight innings, Gurbaz topped the leaderboard.

Gurbaz did a fantastic job in the ODI format as well. He amassed 531 runs in 11 innings, registering three centuries and two half-centuries. It goes without saying that Gurbaz was Afghanistan's MVP in 2024.

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#4 Sam Konstas

Unlike the previous three names on this list, Australia's young cricketer Sam Konstas did not have any experience at the international level before 2024. The Aussie batter started his career in the Boxing Day Test against India on December 26.

The reason why Konstas still features on the list is because he grabbed the limelight with his approach against the world's No. 1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The 19-year-old Konstas showed no nerves at all and went for reverse scoop shots against Bumrah. He connected a few of them, resulting in boundaries and ending Bumrah's 4483-ball streak of conceding zero sixes in Tests.

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#5 Nitish Kumar Reddy

21-year-old Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy had a breakthrough IPL season with the SunRisers Hyderabad in 2024, where he scored 303 runs and scalped three wickets. He earned a place in India's T20I squad soon and scored 90 runs in three matches, including a match-winning 74 against Bangladesh in Delhi.

But the innings that brought the young cricketer into the limelight in 2024 was his century against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The all-rounder came out to bat at number eight when India were struggling at 191/6 in reply to Australia's 474. Reddy scored 114 off 189 to ensure India finished with 369 on the board.