The 15th edition of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is around the corner, with emerging talents from 16 teams gearing up to compete for the coveted title in South Africa.
The tournament began in 1988 and has seen seven different winners in the 14 editions so far. India continues to lead the way with five titles to their name, followed by Australia (3), Pakistan (2), Bangladesh, South Africa, West Indies and England (1 each). And over the years, the tournament has gone through many iterations, providing a foundational stage for many of the game’s superstars.
Despite their faltering performance in the inaugural U19 World Cup in 1988, where the Men in Blue finished sixth, the current defending Champions India have been serial winners in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup history, winning five titles in the 14 editions and finishing second or third on a further five occasions.
So, let us take a trip down memory lane and revisit the stories and the people behind our nation’s iconic moments in the tournament.
2000
The iconic tournament was hosted in Asia for the first time and featured seven qualifiers – the Americas Region, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Kenya, and the Netherlands – alongside the nine Test nations.
In a fitting climax, two Asian teams contested the Super League final with India defeating hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo to lift the trophy for the first time ever.
Yet another anecdote about this edition of the tournament was that it saw the birth of Indian superstar Yuvraj Singh who would go on to clinch the World Cup as well for India in 2011, and he stamped his name onto the international scene in 2000 by winning the man of the tournament honours to announce his arrival.
Some other future stars who competed in the tournament were Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, and Mitchell Johnson of Australia, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, Ian Bell of England, and Albie Morkel of South Africa.
2008
The tournament was hosted for the first time by a non-Test-playing nation when Malaysia organised the 2008 event. This time the qualifiers were Bermuda, Ireland, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea.
This was the edition that saw the iconic and undeniable talisman batter Virat Kohli burst into the scene as he led India to victory by beating South Africa by 12 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method after a rain-affected final at the Kinrara Academy Oval ground on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur.
2012
The 2012 edition of the U-19 World Cup consisted of 10 Test-playing nations and six qualifiers — Scotland, Nepal, Ireland, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Namibia.
This was when India joined Australia as a three-time winner of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup with a commendable six-wicket victory over the Aussies themselves at the Tony Ireland stadium in Townsville.
Australia was restricted to 225 for eight in its 50 overs with Will Bosisto, later named the player of the tournament, top-scoring with an unbeaten 87, and Indian seamer Sandeep Sharma claiming four wickets.
It was then time for Indian skipper Unmukt Chand to put on a captain’s innings as the opener where he anchored his team to victory with 111* runs including six sixes and seven boundaries, staying in till the end as India coasted home with 14 balls to spare.
2018
In the 2018 edition, India were at their absolute best in New Zealand as they went on to end their wait of lifting a record fourth title. The summit clash was a repeat of the 2012 final, where India had beaten hosts Australia in Queensland.
At the end of the day, it was India’s Manjot Kalra who stamped his authority in the match, slamming an unbeaten 101 in the final at Bay Oval against Australia. Powered by the same swashbuckling performance, India won the match by 8 wickets and lifted their fourth title.
2022
India went on to capture their fifth title in the next edition in 2022, defeating England by four wickets in the final.
Led by captain Yash Dhull, India’s Raj Bawa collected 5 for 31 with the ball for the Men in Blue as England were bowled out for 189, a total that would have been a lot worse without James Rew’s 95. Then, it was easy sailing for India who, with the aid of half-centuries from Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu, secured victory with 14 balls to spare and retained the trophy successfully for the first time.
India though have not just been the bride but the bridesmaid as well. In 20200, seeking a defence of the title they claimed from 2018, India fell just short of reclaiming the glory as they fell victim to rain.
India had to face disappointment in 2020, losing to Bangladesh in a rain-hit final in South Africa against Bangladesh. After being put into bat, India could only manage a total of 177, despite young Yashasvi Jasiwal’s 88. Bangladesh pulled off a major upset as they chased down the revised target of 170 with three wickets to spare.
It is now time for the next generation of talent to take the mantle and retain the title. Youngster Uday Saharan captains the current team and hopes to put his name in an elite list of Indian captains – Mohammed Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull – to have lifted the U19 World Cup trophy.
The side were winners in a lead-in tri-series against South Africa and Afghanistan, making them formidable contenders with their eyes set on a historic sixth title at the tournament.
The upcoming World Cup marks the 15th edition of the U19 men’s event, following the last tournament in the West Indies in 2022 where India clinched the title for the fifth time. The 16 participating teams have been divided into four groups of four with the scheduled start being in January. There will be 41 matches with the final to be played in February. Defending Champions India are joined by Bangladesh, Ireland, and USA in Group A.
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