U-25 XI: Forming a team out of the best cricketers under the age of 25

Kusal Mendis

In a time when Sri Lankan cricket is struggling against every team, Kusal Mendis is carrying the team on his shoulder with his batting performances.

Mendis rose to prominence with his performances as a youngster and in the domestic circuit as well. He made his debut only last year and has played 36 ODIs scoring 1143 runs at an average of 34.63 with eleven half centuries and one century to his name.

He will look to get Sri Lankan cricket back on the right track with his performances over the next few years.

Travis Head

An upcoming youngster, Travis Head is slowly starting to make a mark for himself in Australia’s ODI side in the middle order.

With the likes of Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner not performing too well over the past couple of years, Head has filled that void with his aggressive knocks in the middle order.

He might have been poor in the Indian Premier League but he has made up with his performances for his national side.

After making his debut last year, he has played 25 ODIs and has scored 815 runs at an average of 40.75 with six half centuries and one big one to his name.

Hardik Pandya

This 23 year old from Baroda is making great strides in the international circuit despite having a poor domestic record. He was recognised due to his performances in the IPL, and ever since making his debut for the Indian side, he has constantly improved and has become an integral part of the side now.

With his ability to perform equally well with the bat and the ball, he might as well be India’s next Kapil Dev. However, it is a little too soon to make such a comparison and we will have to wait and watch how he performs over the next few years.

Ever since making his debut late in 2016, he has played 20 ODIs for the Men in Blue and has scored 289 runs at an average of 36.12 and a phenomenal strike rate of 133.17. He has also picked up 21 wickets during this time and shown his prowess in the field as well.