An U-19 story: Fledglings who never took off

The present crop of Indian U-19 cricketers are basking in the glory of winning the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup by beating the Australians in their own backyard. It’s quite some achievement, making it the first time that Indian seniors and juniors have won the top prize in cricket in the same year. Last time the feat was achieved in 1988 by the Kangaroos.

Unmukt Chand, whose match-winning century was instrumental in India’s final victory, is touted to be in the league of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh. Budding all-rounder Baba Aparajith and talented spinner Harmeet Singh are also in the frame for making an entry into the senior side. However, former cricketers, selectors , and cricket analysts harbor the thoughts that the young stars should prove themselves in domestic cricket for another three to four years before they think of playing for the national side.

What makes them say so? Well, there have been barely a handful of U-19 stars who have made a big impression in the national team and a lot who have gradually fizzled out. As cricketing experts say that the level gap between international cricket and U-19 cricket is vast and the pressure on the biggest stage is of a different kind altogether. The past has seen U-19 stars who carried much promise but delivered very little, and faded away. Let’s go back in time and take the case of five fledglings who could not take-off.

Reetinder Singh Sodhi: Reetinder Singh Sodhi to his credit has won two world cups at the junior level. He was the part of the victorious U-15 side and more memorably of the U-19 side of the year 2000, who won India their first world cup at this level. He was man of the match in both the finals. But Reetinder’s performances at the junior level could not translate into success many expected him to deliver at the senior level. After an early rise, Sodhi ended up with only 18 ODIs to his name and fell down the pecking order very soon. The prospect of an all-rounder in Sodhi soon fell flat. He plies his trade with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL at present.

Venugopal Rao: The right-handed batsman from Vishakhapatnam was also a member of the 2000 U-19 World Cup side. Plundering runs in the domestic circuit on the flat, placid tracks of the sub-continent, Venugopal eventually came into contention for the national team after scoring a double-hundred which enabled South Zone complete a record chase versus England A. Year 2005 saw him play for the national side but he failed to make any impact. He played his last ODI in 2006. His batting average was an ordinary 24.22 in 16 internationals with a highest score of 61 not out.

Shikhar Dhawan: The player of the tournament of the 2004 U-19 World Cup garnered lot of attention after his record breaking performance. Dhawan amassed 505 runs in seven innings which is an U-19 World Cup record. He scored 3 centuries and had a batting average of 84.16. Following seasons in the Ranji Trophy saw the left-handed opening batsman putting in credible performances, even leading Delhi to the Ranji Trophy title in 2007-08. He got his international break in 2010 against Australia. But again the transition syndrome saw Dhawan getting out cheaply on his debut. He was picked up for the West Indies tour in 2011 but Dhawan failed to deliver yet again. He managed a half-century which aided in India’s victory but that series was the last of his international adventure so far.

Taruwar Kohli: The right-handed middle order batsman from Jalandhar was one of the top performers in the 2008 U-19 World Cup winning side. The captain of that side, Virat Kohli is one of the mainstays in the Indian national team now. But Taruwar has struggled since then. The total of first class and List-A matches he has managed to play till 2011 are close to a meager 40. He plays for Punjab in the Ranji trophy but has yet to make his international debut. His cricketing career seems to be in the doldrums.

Shreevats Goswami: The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman, a teammate of Taruwar and Virat, also starred in the 2008 U-19 World Cup. His career has been similar to that of Taruwar, as he struggles to keep a place in the Bengal first-class team. His rave batting form in the World Cup seems to have deserted him for good. He has a single half-century to his name in the past four seasons. A place in the national team looks unreachable for the Bengal lad.

Whatever the reasons be, these U-19 stars have had a tough time coming to terms with success post the World Cup. The obvious fact remains that the transition from U-19 to international cricket is a hard one. Few fledglings have flown high across the sky though. Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh have proven that talent can succeed with the necessary effort and grooming from all the parties involved. Even though not as successful as the above, Mohammad Kaif will always be remembered for his Nat-West series heroics and faultless fielding. Rohit Sharma has delivered in fits and starts but needs to be consistent to keep his place in the side.

The Indian selectors and BCCI should take the utmost effort to nurture and groom the young talents. The career growth of the U-19 talents like Unmukt, Harmeet, and Aparajith and other promising youngsters should be judiciously worked upon. The State Cricket Boards need to play their role as India can’t afford to lose out on these precious jewels.

The U-19 fledglings know they are a step closer to realizing their dreams, but have to keep their feet on the ground and prepare to get through the grind of domestic cricket to materialize their dreams. Nature itself teaches that coal becomes a diamond only after metamorphosis.