U19 World Cup: Kaif’s team in 2000, Kohli’s in 2008 and more – brief history of India's past finals

Since India’s first final appearance in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2000 to now, cricket has come a long way. But one of the things that has remained consistent in all these years is India’s ability to showcase the well-oiled machine that their cricket system has the potential to be. The men’s Under 19 World Cup of the past has exposed unearthed talent to challenges that give them a taste of what awaits and in the process, created a few superstars who graduated into becoming some of the most talked about names in international cricket.

When the batch of 2022 step on to the field in Antigua for what will be India’s fourth consecutive final at the ICC U19 World Cup, not only do they have a rich history to draw inspiration from, they also have just the right template to ensure that they are able to pull off something special in match situations they may never have encountered before.

Yash Dhull would be hoping to join the list of the four title-winning India U-19 World Cup captains – Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw.

Here is a look at all of India’s past appearances in ICC Under-19 finals so far:

2000: Champions

Yuvraj Singh, captain Mohammad Kaif, and Reetinder Singh Sodhi were among the batch of U19 players in 2000 that became the first Indians to lay hands on the trophy since the event started in 1988. Chasing a target of 179, India had a task laid out. Because of the fireworks in the quarterfinals against Australia, the Sri Lankans made sure they had tactics in place, preventing Yuvraj from scoring more than 27 runs in the final. Even captain Kaif was unable to inflict any significant harm, as he was dismissed for 18 off 50. However, the Roger Binny-coached squad cruised to victory thanks to a sensible and solid 64-run partnership between Niraj Patel and Sodhi. Sodhi was the player of the match in Colombo.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Under-19: 178

India Under-19: 180/4

India U19 won by 6 wickets

Player of the match: Reetinder Singh Sodhi

2006: Runners-up

The year that ended up giving us multiple stars, unfortunately, didn’t see India holding the trophy. From Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, to Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla... it was no surprise that banking on that talent, India made it to the final in Colombo. There, they faced what proved to be another star-studded line-up consisting of Rameez Raja, Nasir Jamshed, Sarfraz Ahmed and Imaad Wasim. The much talked about rivalry may not really have the same charm about it anymore but it makes sense why the expectations are there to begin with, considering even U19 encounters between the two sides produced such riveting contests. Pakistan won that edition in an impressive manner, defending 109 runs with a stunning performance of pace and swing bowling. Anwar Ali had a final to remember as he took 5/35, a record that Piyush Chawla held for approximately an hour before.

Brief scores:

Pakistan Under-19: 109

India Under-19: 71

Pakistan U19 won by 38 runs

Player of the match: Anwar Ali

2008: Champions

This was the year that gave international cricket glimpses of Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, Siddharth Kaul, Shreevats Goswami and Iqbal Abdulla. In the final, they faced a South African side that boasted of JJ Smuts, Rilee Rossouw, Reeza Hendricks and their skipper Wayne Parnell. The Kohli-led side clinched a victory in a final in Kuala Lumpur reduced to a battle of nerves due to rain. Eventually, it was the Indian bowlers who stepped up and helped their team beat South African by a dozen runs. When Kohli lifted the trophy, it laid down an early milestone on his path to becoming one of the biggest names in cricket in the coming years. Incidentally, the well-deserved victory now remains his only ICC tournament trophy as captain.

Brief scores:

India Under-19: 159

South Africa Under-19: 103/8

India U19 won by 12 runs (D/L method)

Player of the match: Ajitesh Argal

2012: Champions

Leading from the front with his unbeaten century, Unmukt Chand powered India to World Cup glory as the team pulled off an impressive chase to beat defending champions Australia in the final. He outshone his Australian counterpart William Bosisto, who had pulled Australia from 38/4 to a competitive score with an unbeaten 87. Although the Australian captain was named Player of the Tournament, it was Chand who had won the day and the World Cup for India. It was also the final from which international cricket became a little more acquainted with the likes of Baba Aparajith, Hanuma Vihari, Akshdeep Nath, Sandeep Sharma, Travis Head, Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft.

Brief scores:

Australia U-19: 225/8

India U-19: 227/4

India U19 won by 6 wickets

Player of the match: Unmukt Chand

2016: Runners-up

Six years later, as we re-imagine an Indian line-up that consisted of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Avesh Khan, Washington Sundar, Sarfaraz Khan, Khaleel Ahmed and Mahipal Romror, it is safe to say that the loss in the final was truly an upset. The majority of the team proved their mettle in the years to come in both international and domestic cricket. But on that day in Mirpur, it was the West Indies that proved to be too hot to handle even for this Indian team. The Windies also boasted a squad that consisted of future internationals Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Keemo Paul. In what transpired into a thrilling final, the Hetmyer-led side used a combination of high-speed bowling and a resilient batting performance to cause the upset of the tournament on the day it mattered most. It was a great time to be a West Indies cricketer, male or female.

Brief scores:

India Under-19: 145

West Indies U-19: 146/5

W Indies U19 won by 5 wickets

Player of the match: Keacy Carty

2018: Champions

Still fresh in the memory, this title victory is special for Indian fans because the Rahul Dravid-coached side finished an unbeaten campaign that was so dominating that the sheer talent of the side won several players contracts worth millions in the Indian Premier League. It was expected to be a high-octane final considering India had just seen off the Shaheen Afridi threat in the semi-finals against Pakistan. They met Australia only for India to triumph by pulling off their second highest successful chase in U-19 World Cups and registering a comprehensive eight-wicket win. Manjot Kalra’s sublime century ensured that he joined the list of the most impressive young cricketers along with Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Porel.

Brief scores:

Australia Under-19: 216

India Under-19: 220/2

India U19 won by 8 wickets

Player of the match: Manjot Kalra

2020: Runners-up

In the final against Bangladesh, player of the tournament Yashasvi Jaiswal once again demonstrated why he is a player to watch in the future, scoring 88 runs off 121 balls but his dismissal caused a panic in the largely untested middle order that triggered a collapse wherein seven wickets fell for only 21 runs. India found it difficult to brave it out against a charged Bangladesh attack, which was made even more effective by their fielders. Several players from the Indian team had impressed enough to be picked up by franchises in the IPL auction, namely Jaiswal, Priyam Garg, Ravi Bishnoi and Kartik Tyagi. However, on that day, it was the Akbar Ali-led Bangladesh who became the sixth nation to win an Under-19 World Cup, denying India the opportunity to win back-to-back titles. It was a rollercoaster final that was gripping from the word go and finished with controversial scenes. Ali was the difference maker in the end with his unbeaten captain’s knock while Bishnoi gave hope for India with a four-wicket haul.

Sledging, emotions, errors, twists, class: The India-Bangladesh U19 World Cup final had it all

Brief scores:

India Under-19: 177

Bangladesh Under-19: 170/7

Bangladesh U19 won by 3 wickets (D/L method)

Player of the match: Akbar Ali