Top 10 U-20 cricketers who can define the future of Indian cricket

These are the players that are being most-talked about in the domestic circuit today and have the potential to go on and become household names one day. Read on to find out more about them and their performances till date.

10. Sarfaraz Khan (15)

Career stats

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 11

Runs: 241 Average: 48.20 High Score: 101

Wickets: 8 Average: 15.12 Best figures: 4/27

Sarfaraz scored 101 (17 fours) against South Africa Under-19s to give India Under-19s victory, as they chased down a target of 269 in less than 40 overs with 4 wickets left in the U-19 Quadrangular tournament this year.

Sarfaraz is a very young talent from Maharashtra who is very hungry for runs. He scored a record 400* in the Harris Shield, bettering the scores of Wasim Jaffer, Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar. He dreams of playing in the national Test side. He is handy with the ball too, and once took 4/27 vs Sri Lanka U-19.

9. Aamir Gani (17)

Career stats

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 9

Wickets: 11 Average: 17.81 Best figures: 3/25

Gani took 3/25 on debut against Australia Under-19s to seal India’s win and guarantee a place in the finals of the U-19 tri-nation series in July. Australia were restricted to 191 and India won the game by 7 wickets.

Gani is the captain of the Bengal U-19 team. This lad promises to be a future bowling prospect, as his performances reflect. He can deliver crucial breakthroughs and bowl with discipline. The Varanasi-born player was picked for the squad for the top-end U-19 series in July 2013, and the team’s tour of Sri Lanka in July/August. He says, “I like to keep things simple. That is the main reason for my success”.

8. Akhil Herwadkar (18)

Career stats

Under-19 Tests

Matches: 2

Runs: 111 Average: 37.00 High Score: 71

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 20

Runs: 576 Average: 30.31 High Score: 88*

Herwadkar scored 88* against Zimbabwe and put together a 218-run stand along with opener Ankush Bains that helped India chase down Zimbabwe’s 245 in the Quadrangular U-19 one-day series.

This left-hander from Maharashtra could open the batting for India in the future. He attended his first cricketing camp in Pune at the age of 11, and thereafter moved to Mumbai. He then played for the Mumbai U-16s and U-19s. He has an attacking batting style and has shown the ability to adapt to various situations. He was a member of the Under-19 squad that won the World Cup and the Asia Cup.

7. Deepak Hooda (18)

Career stats

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 13

Runs: 169 Average: 33.80 High Score: 83*

Wickets: 14 Average: 32.00 Best figures: 3/22

Hooda made 83* in 55 balls to take India’s total to 291 against Zimbabwe U-19 in the Quadrangular Series, 2013/14. He took 2/37 in the second innings. India won by 148 runs.

He could fill the shoes of the all-rounder in the national team, which is always a welcome prospect for any side. Hailing from Baroda, he performed consistently for the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) and also produced a splendid all-round performance for the U-19s last season, scoring 487 runs and claiming 26 wickets.

6. Ankush Bains (17)

Career stats

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 10

Runs: 447 Average: 49.66 High Score: 134 Catches: 13 Stumpings: 8

Bains scored 49 with the bat and effected two catches and three stumpings as wicket-keeper against Zimbabwe U-19 in the same game that India won by 148 runs.

This wicket-keeper batsman is to the Under-19 side what Dhoni is to the national side. He keeps wickets and is swift to remove the woodwork if there is a chance. Also, he opens the batting and gives a good start to the innings more often than not.

5. Kuldeep Yadav (18)

Career stats

Under-19 Tests

Matches: 2

Wickets: 14 Average: 26.07 Best figures: 6/38

Under-19 ODIs

Matches: 14

Wickets: 24 Average: 15.70 Best figures: 4/34

Yadav had match figures of 8/170 against Sri Lanka U-19 squad in the 2nd Test match of the Sri Lnaka Youth Test series (2013), which was eventually drawn.

He could be a great asset to the team in the spin-bowling department if properly groomed and can follow in the tracks of the many spin greats produced by India. Kuldeep is the captain of the Uttar Pradesh U-19 team, and has led his state to 2 victories in the Cooch Behar Trophy.

4. Jasprit Bumrah (19)

Career stats

Twenty20 games

Matches: 11

Wickets: 13 Average: 22.61 Best figures: 3/14

His best performance was on debut, with figures of 3/32 for Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013. RCB scored 156 in their 20 overs and won the game by 2 runs.

Bumrah is one of the youngest players in the IPL and has shown great potential to make it big. The right-arm medium bowler can very well be the next Praveen Kumar that India will look for in the coming years. He sports an unusual action and a short run-up, and bowls from wide of the crease and tries to swing the ball in. He was handed his IPL cap by Sachin Tendulkar, and needless to say, this particular moment holds a very special place in his heart.

3. Vijay Zol (18)

Career stats

First-class

Matches: 2

Runs: 112 Average: 56.00 High Score: 110

List A

Matches: 7

Runs: 252 Average: 36.00 High Score: 75

Twenty 20

Matches: 4

Runs: 189 Average: 47.25 High Score: 109

His best knock was that of 451 for Maharashtra against Assam in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. Maharashtra declared their innings at 763/4. He dedicated the innings to Virender Sehwag.

He holds a place in the RCB squad in the Indian Premier League, and is also the captain of the current Indian Under-19 squad. He could lead India one day and as his records show, he has a knack of getting huge knocks like all those great batters of the Indian team did when they played at the domestic level.

He received the MA Chidambaram award for the best Under-19 cricketer from the BCCI in 2012. Zol is a class nine drop out.

2. Baba Aparajith (19)

Career stats

First-class

Matches: 12

Runs: 447 Average: 34.38 High Score: 112

Wickets: 4 Average: 90.25 Best figures: 1/18

List A

Matches: 14

Runs: 455 Average: 37.91 High Score: 121

Wickets: 15 Average: 24.22 Best figures: 3/28

Twenty20

Matches: 4

Runs: 44 Average: 11.00 High Score: 17

Wickets: 1 Average: 10.00 Best figures: 1/10

His best knock came in the Deodhar trophy quarterfinal when he scored 121 to help the South Zone score 284 in their 50 overs and win by 11 runs against the East Zone.

The all-rounder plays first-class for Tamil Nadu, and has been selected to the Chennai Super Kings squad as well. He has an impressive record with the bat and can pick a wicket or two with the ball. If trained properly, he can surely find a place in the national squad.

1. Sanju Samson (18)

Career Stats

First-class

Matches: 7

Runs: 381 Average: 31.75 High Score: 127*

List A

Matches: 11

Runs: 296 Average: 29.60 High Score: 85*

Twenty20

Matches: 22

Runs: 411 Average: 24.17 High Score: 63

Samson’s best score is 127 not out against Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match (2012/13) where he played a lone hand for Kerala to take the 1st innings total to 229. The match was drawn eventually.

Samson is the vice-captain of the U-19 squad. He is probably one of the brightest prospects that Indian cricket has, in terms of youngsters coming in. He is currently with the Rajasthan Royals franchise. He was given the ‘Best Young Player of the Season’ award in IPL 2013. He is also the youngest player to score a half-century in both the IPL and the CLT20 tournaments.