The India U-19 team won the recently held U-19 World Cup in West Indies. The Boy in Blue defeated England in the finale of the tournament. They began the competition by defeating South Africa by 45 runs in Guyana and followed it up with thumping wins against Ireland (174 runs) and Uganda (326 runs). India’s last two wins in the group stage came despite skipper Yash Dhull and four overs being ruled out due to COVID-19. India also ended 2020 champions Bangladesh’s campaign in the U-19 World Cup, defeating them by five wickets in the quarter-finals. The Yash Dhull-led team defeated Australia in the semis. With the IPL mega auction scheduled to be held on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru, we look at 7 Indian youngsters from the U19 World Cup who could be in demand.
1. Angkrish Raghuvanshi: The opener was in excellent form in the U19 World Cup. After beginning with 5 against South Africa, he followed it up with 79 against Ireland and 144 against Uganda. The 16-year-old scored a crucial 44 in the quarter-final against Bangladesh as well. His consistency was remarkable. Earlier, he scored a half-century in the U-19 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.
2. Vicky Ostwal: Wicket-taking spinners are always in demand in the IPL. Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal is one to watch out for. The 19-year-old left-arm spinner ran through South Africa with figures of 5 for 28. He claimed one wicket each in the next two games before picking up 2 for 25 in the quarter-final against Bangladesh. Vicky took three wickets in the semi-final against Australia. He has impressive variations and was even player of the final in the Asia Cup final with figures of 3 for 11.
3. Raj Bawa: All-rounder Raj Bawa is an attacking left-handed bat and a right-arm medium pacer. He began by claiming 4 for 47 against South Africa. After chipping in with 42 against Ireland, he smashed a record-breaking 162 not out against Uganda. With the knock, he broke Shikhar Dhawan’s record (155) for the highest individual score by an Indian batter at the U-19 World Cup. In the final against England, he took 5 wickets and scored 35 runs. Considering his all-round skills, he could bag an IPL contract at the mega auction.
4. Rajvardhan Hangargekar: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had made a big prediction that all-rounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar will be picked at the IPL 2022 auction and will get at least 5-10 bids. The 19-year-old right-arm pacer has been among the wickets in all matches leading into the semi-finals against Australia. He was brilliant against Uganda with figures of 2 for 8. His big-hitting skills with the bat came to the fore in the game against Ireland when he hammered an unbeaten 39 off 17 with the help of five sixes.
5. Harnoor Singh: Opener Harnoor Singh scored a wonderful 100 in the warm-up clash against Australia as India won the game with ease. He was out for 1 in the match against South Africa but scored a brilliant 88 against Ireland. Singh failed against Ireland and Uganda, but he has done enough to present his case as a highly talented batter. The 19-year-old also played a few good knocks in the preceding Asia Cup. He could be on the radar of a few IPL franchises.
6. Yash Dhull – The captain led from the front and contributed to Team India’s fifth World Cup title. He missed a couple of matches after being tested COVID-19 positive. Yash played the most important innings in the semi-final of the event. He scored 110 runs against Australia. Overall, he amassed 229 runs in 4 matches at an average of 76.33.
7. Shaik Rasheed – The team’s vice-captain accumulated 94 in the semi-final against Australia, while he scored a magnificent fifty in the finale against England. Rasheed scored 201 runs in 4 matches at an average of 50.25.