The under-19 cricket world cup starts January 14, and the Indian side is being considered a top contender for the upcoming tournament. India recently won the title of the Under-19 Asia Cup. Apart from that, the team defeated the host West Indies (India vs West Indies) in their first practice match. In this edition, a total of 16 teams are participating in the tournament. Let us tell you about the captains who made India victorious 4 times and their international cricket journey.
The Under-19 World Cup started in 1988. The second edition took place in 1998, and since then, the tournament is being organised every 2 years. In 2000, India won the first Under-19 world cup under the captaincy of Mohammad Kaif. The team defeated hosts Sri Lanka in a thrilling final match by 6 wickets.
Batting first, Sri Lanka were bundled at 178 runs, and India achieved the target in 40.4 overs for the loss of just 4 wickets. Reetinder Sodhi remained unbeaten, scoring the highest 39 runs. Kaif scored 18 and Yuvraj Singh scored 27 runs. The team did not lose a single match in the tournament.
Kaif Played 138 International Matches:
If we look at his international career, Mohammad Kaif scored 2753 runs in 125 ODIs at an average of 32, scoring 2 centuries and 17 half-centuries. Apart from this, he scored 624 runs in 13 Tests (average: 33) with one century and 3 half-centuries. He has also recently joined Delhi Capitals’ coaching team. In his career, Kaif’s innings in the final of the 2002 NatWest Trophy is one of the most memorable innings. He scored an unbeaten 87 and gave the team a thrilling victory over England. After the victory, Sourav Ganguly celebrated the moment by taking off the T-shirt on the balcony.
Kohli’s Journey Continues
In the final 2007 edition, India defeated South Africa after getting all-out at 159 runs while playing first. In reply, the proteas scored 103 for 8 in 25 overs. Following the Duckworth-Lewis rule, they got the target of 116 runs. This way, India won this match by 12 runs. Today, Kohli is among the most successful captains of Team India. Not just that, the man has scored 70 centuries in international cricket as a batsman. He was also part of the team that won the ODI World Cup in 2011.
Unmukt Chand failed, Shaw’s struggle continues
India won the Under-19 World Cup under the captaincy of Unmukt Chand in 2012 and Prithvi Shaw in 2018. However, Unmukt Chand could not get an opportunity to play for Team India and decided to play for America after retiring last year. On the other hand, Prithvi Shaw made a great debut in his international career but is struggling to cement his place in the India squad.
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