Five sparkling U19 cricketers who failed to prove themselves at the senior level

In a country like India where cricket is almost treated like a religion and every other individual aspires to represent the Men in Blue on the big stage, it is tough to rise through ranks and make headlines with performances. There are cricketers who got this opportunity to not only play for India at the Under-19 level but also get appreciated for their heroics with the willow or ball. However, among them, there are some who failed to live up to the expectations after succeeding at the U-19 level and could never represent the Senior National team. Let’s take a look at 5 promising U19 cricketers who faded away at Senior level

5. Baba Aparajith

One of the heroes of India’s victory in ICC U19 World Cup 2012 Baba Aparajith can be considered as one of the unluckiest cricketers. Aparajith had a decent outing in the 2012 World Cup as he finished as the fourth-highest run-getter with 171 runs in 6 innings at an average of 28.5. He also bagged 5 wickets at an average of 35.8. However, the batsman could never make it to the national team. In IPL, he was benched by CSK for three seasons from 2013 to 2015 and then by Rising Pune Supergiant, who had picked him in 2016, for two years.

4. Taruwar Kohli

The only Kohli to score a First-class triple hundred turns only 32 today.

In fact, Taruwar Kohli has two:
300* for Punjab vs Jharkhand, 2012-13
307* for Mizoram vs Arunachal, 2019-20

Both Kohlis did pretty well in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, too. pic.twitter.com/BcWRSRmXir

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) December 16, 2020

India’s victory at 2008 U-19 World Cup is etched in the memory of many cricket fans as that team was led by the batting maestro and current Indian team skipper Virat Kohli. However, other than Virat, there was another name, Taruwar Kohli who had played an instrumental role in India’s victory in that marquee event. The right-hander was exceptional with the willow as he amassed 218 runs in 6 matches at an average of 43.60 and with the highest score of 63*. Though Taruwar was picked by RR, he could feature in only four matches throughout his IPL career aggregating 11 runs at an average of 3.67.

3. Unmukt Chand

One of the most prominent names in this list is of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2012 winning captain Unmukt Chand. Unmukt had hogged all the limelight in 2012 and had impressed one and all with his leadership skills and heroics with the willow. The batsman was the highest run-getter in the 2012 World Cup with 246 runs under his belt in 6 innings at an average of 49.20. However, Unmukt could never justify the hype surrounding him as he flattered in both IPL and domestic circuit. Thus, the hero of the 2012 U-19 World Cup had a sad ending to his cricket journey and slowly fizzled away.

2. Vijay Zol

Run-machines in the making – Sanju Samson and Vijay Zol #Cricket #RunMachines pic.twitter.com/u7oFtIH35A

— Gaurav Saxena (@goransaxena) January 5, 2014

The left-handed batsman Vijay Zol had a promising start to his cricket career as he smashed a ton on his India ’A’ debut against New Zealand ‘A’ along with scoring a double hundred on his Ranji debut for Maharashtra. The middle-order batsman was a part of the U-19 2012 World Cup-winning squad and led India in the U-19 2014 World Cup. Impressed with his talent with the willow, the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals picked him for the 2014 edition. However, Zol failed to live up to the expectations as he played only three IPL matches garnering 29 runs. 2014 was his last run in the T20 extravaganza as no other franchise showed interest in the cricketer.

1. Ricky Bhui

Our young Sunriser @rickybhui in training at the gym. #SRH #OrangeArmy @RedFMIndia pic.twitter.com/MRbWgYD0m1

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 10, 2016

The right-handed batsman hailing from Bhopal, Ricky Bhui had a dream debut in the domestic circuit as he scored an unbeaten hundred on his List A debut followed by an unbeaten hundred on his Twenty20 debut. Ricky then went on to represent India in ICC U19 World Cup 2014 and 2016. Owing to his heroics at the U-19 level, the top-order batsman was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad but he failed to capitalize on the opportunities as in two matches he scored only 7 runs and was subsequently dropped from the team.