#FutureStars is the official hashtag for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup that began in Bangladesh on Wednesday. The hashtag does make sense – avid cricket fans who have followed junior cricket closely in the past have often been rewarded with the chance to observe talents such as Chris Gayle, Kagiso Rabada and Graeme Smith well before they stormed the international stage.
With three titles, the Indian team shares the distinction of being the most successful team in the biennial competition along with Australia. These three wins came in 2000, 2008 and in 2012. And behind the 2000 and 2008 triumphs were men who went on to have very successful careers – a teenaged Yuvraj Singh was the Man of the Series in 2000, while Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were the stars of 2008. The 2012 squad, led by the talented Unmukt Chand, also consisted of some talented players who are now on the periphery of the national team.
Coached by the peerless Rahul Dravid, the current India U-19 squad will be looking to emulate some of their predecessors and announce themselves on the international stage. Here's a round-up of some of the Indian players to watch out for as the team begins its campaign against Ireland on Thursday.
Sarfaraz Khan
It is not often that an abandoned Indian Premier League match is remembered. Nor is Virat Kohli known to be the sort of cricketer who bows down to anyone else.
Both these things happened on April 29 last year during an IPL match between Bangalore and Rajasthan. The man who took centre stage then was a diminutive 17-year old who was outrageous and cocksure in equal measure as he coolly hit upper-cuts and reverse sweeps off two of Rajasthan’s best bowlers, James Faulkner and Shane Watson. That 17-year old’s name was Sarfaraz Khan, and though the match was called off due to rain, his incredible 21-ball 45 remained etched in memory for the sheer audacity of the knock. Memorably, Virat Kohli, the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, was so enamoured by Khan’s knock that he mock-bowed to him once the innings was over.
So it is not surprising then that Khan will be the cynosure of all eyes when India start their World Cup campaign against Ireland on Thursday. The Mumbai boy has already proven that he has a streak of the outrageous about him. And with Dravid’s calming influence, the hope is that he can convert his talent into a run of good performances.
Arman Jaffer
The nephew of former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer, Arman Jaffer grabbed the headlines after scoring three consecutive double hundreds in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in December. Jaffer hails from the same school as Sarfaraz Khan but is a different cricketer and is far more traditional and sedate in his run scoring. His hunger for runs is evident – he once scored 498 for his school in 2010. At 17, Jaffer is yet to make his first-class debut. But with plenty of prodigious talent, this could be his chance to stake a claim for a bigger stage.
Zeeshan Ansari
A leg-spinner who has modelled himself on the likes of Australian great Shane Warne, Zeeshan Ansari has come a long way since rebelling against his disapproving father who wanted him to go into the family's tailoring business in Aliganj, UP. The 16-year old is a late bloomer – he only made his debut last year for the Uttar Pradesh U-19 team. But in the span of a few months, he has displayed a knack for taking wickets, highlighted by a best of 8/39. His wicket-taking ability resulted in a call-up to the India U-19 squad. Leg-spinners are always a valuable commodity in cricket and India will be hoping that Ansari comes good.
Avesh Khan
In a country with scarce fast bowling resources, any new pacer is immediately scrutinised. So it was no surprise when Avesh Khan made news at the 2014 edition of the U-19 World Cup when one of his deliveries in a match against Pakistan was clocked at close to 140 kilometres per hour. Now aged 19, Khan will be playing his second U-19 World Cup and will hope to make the leap to the senior side. He has already offered early glimpses of his talent – during a tri-series in Kolkata in November, Khan finished with figures of 4/4 to help his team defend a meagre total of 158.
