The ICC U19 World Cup 2024 in South Africa has reached its final stage. Team India has made its fifth consecutive final. They beat South Africa U19 in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Benoni to book a ticket to the finale. The Indian team has been undefeated so far in the tournament. All the fans will hope that they can continue this streak and win the final as well.
However, one main reason for India’s success is the collective effort they have put into this tournament. Everyone has performed when it is required, which has made them a strong unit. Certainly some of these players will go on to play for the senior team as well. But one thing to notice is that there are a few Indian U19 stars who perform well in batting and bowling as well.
3. Raj Limbani
India’s new ball bowler, Raj Limbani, has been the player to watch out for. He was the one that rattled South Africa top-order in the semi-final and picked up two wickets in the powerplay. He bowls at a pretty good speed and can swing the ball a long way. Raj has taken eight wickets in five innings at a brilliant economy rate of 3.89. Adding to that, he is a pretty decent hitter in the end. He smashed a 4-ball 13 against South Africa to take India to victory. There are chances that he can be groomed as a good pace-bowling all-rounder for India.
2. Arshin Kulkarni
It is very rare, not just in India or anywhere else, to produce an all-rounder who bats in the top three and also bowls at a quick pace. Shane Watson, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, and Ben Stokes are from those rare breeds. But if you had followed the Indian U-19 team in the World Cup, you would have enjoyed the performance of Arshin Kulkarni. He is said to be the next “Hardik Pandya.” But he bats at No. 3 and bowls at a medium pace. Even the Lucknow Super Giants signed him for the IPL 2024 after looking at his potential. He has scored 186 runs and taken 4 wickets and can be a match-winning all-rounder for India.
1. Musheer Khan
The senior Indian team doesn’t have a top-order batter who can bowl ten overs with the ball. But Musheer Khan is certainly one of those kinds of players in the Indian U19 team that is playing in the U19 World Cup at the moment. He has been the most impactful player in India. Musheer has scored 338 runs at 67.69 and a strike rate of 101.19, including two hundreds. With the ball, he has taken six wickets at an economy rate of 3.32. He fields at the point where you need a fast mover. Overall, he has everything to become a genuine all-rounder for India.
