India’s 2008 U19 World Cup Winning Team: Where Are They Now?

Today marks 12 years of India’s 2008 U-19 World Cup triumph. A dominant bunch of youngsters, led by their flamboyant captain Virat Kohli, beat South Africa by to clinch the U-19 World Cup. It was the second title for India in the youth World Cup.

Over a decade to the 2008 U-19 World Cup triumph, a few players from the squad have cemented their place in the national team, while some lost in vanity,

India’s 2008 U19 World Cup Winning Team:

1. Virat Kohli (captain)

This man needs no introduction. From a chubby teenager, Kohli has come along way to become one of the finest cricketers on the international circuit. The 19-year-old, who led India to the U-19 World Cup triumph in 2008, is now a record breaking machine and leads the national team. Going by the amount of the success, this bunch of player have earned over the years, Kohli has been the most successful of them all.

2. Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-Captain)

Ravindra Jadeja, deputy to Virat Kohli, is one of the other players who has cemented his place in the senior team. Banking on his brilliant batting performance, and then growing as a spinner, Jadeja is now of the integral part of the Indian cricket team. Adding to that, he is also one the finest fielders in the current Indian team, which makes him an utility all-rounder.

3. Ajitesh Argal

Ajitesh Argal, player of the match, in U-19 World Cup was on the domestic circuit for quite sometime. But after playing 10 first-class matches, three List A, and six T20s he failed to get going and achieve bigger heights. He was also picked up for the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League but failed to make the most of the opportunity.

4. Napoleon Einstein

Napoleon Einstein had an interesting story. His grandfather was a scientist and also wrote a lot of letters to the great Albert Einstein. However, as a cricketer Napoleon failed to progress and never featured in a first-class match.

Napoleon, who likes to maintain a low profile, was also picked up for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but his present situation is far from known.

5. Taruwar Kohli

Taruwar Kohli made a remarkable start to U19 World Cup by notching up three half-centuries. He was picked up the Kings XI Punjab and was a key member of the side. But his inconsistency marred his career.

Kohli also represented Punjab for a long time on the domestic circuit and then shifted base to Mizoram. He also played for Rajasthan Royals but despite all the opportunities failed to earn a Team India call-up.

6. Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund is one of the faces from the U-19 World Cup winning squad who did well on the domestic circuit. He also represented the national team on quite a few occasions but failed to cement his spot.

Mukund represented the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and his status as a domestic cricketer for the Tamil Nadu side still remains important.

7. Tanmay Srivastava

Tanmay Srivastava, who scored the most runs in in U19 World Cup 2008, did not progess too well on the international circuit. He was touted to be a big star during the U-19 World Cup but unfortunately things did not fall that way for him.

He represented Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but failed to leave a mark. He also played decent number of matches on the domestic circuit, including, 81 FC games, 44 List A games and 28 T20s.

8. Saurabh Tiwary 

Saurabh Tiwary got to a good start in his domestic career but unfortunately the former faded away by time. Belonging from the city of Ranchi and sporting long hair, Tiwary was often compared with MS Dhoni because of his hard-hitting capabilities.

He was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and initially did well. His performance earned him accolades from around the cricket fraternity but over the years his inconsistent performance on the domestic circuit has kept him away from Team India call-up.

9. Manish Pandey 

Manish Pandey has come a long way since representing India in the U-19 World Cup. Though he has still not cemented his spot in the national team, he happens to be in and out of the side. He has also done well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and done well in the shortest format of the game.

10. Siddarth Kaul 

Siddarth Kaul has enjoyed a rampant run on the domestic circuit and as a result got exposure on the international circuit. Unfortunately, his performance on the international circuit, remained below par and he finds himself out-of-favour from the Indian cricket team.

11. Shreevats Goswami

Shreevats Goswami, Bengal’s warhorse, has done well for himself on the domestic circuit. He is still the go-to man for the side and scores runs in abundance occasionally. However, for Goswami, his career has been challenging and his below-par run has failed to help him make progress.

He has also represented Rajasthan Royals, SunRisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but did not have much impact.