From U-19 Stardom to Senior Struggles: The Harsh Reality of Indian Cricket

Unmukt Chand, the U-19 captain, gained prominence after their victorious World Cup campaign in 2012 as he scored a century in the match against Australia in the final. Ian Chappell, who was seen as the next great thing in Indian cricket, praised the innings.

On the other hand, once the squad got back home, the script drastically changed. The stars never lined up for him, and he was unable to leave his mark on the national senior squad.


He was dropped from the Delhi team due to a run of poor performances in the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 competition. Even though he was the captain of the India A team, his tenure there was short-lived due to his lackluster play, and he was relieved of his duties.

After failing to hold down a position for many clubs, he ultimately made the decision to go to the US, where he is now playing Major League Cricket.

Chand's career underlines a harsh truth: in international cricket, doing well at the U-19 level does not always translate to success at the senior level. It's a temperament and discipline exam. A player is often hindered by the weight of expectations and the dread of failing. Thus, it should come as no surprise that India has a dismal strike rate of just around 27% while transitioning from U-19 to international cricket.

While there are many examples of U-19 players in Indian cricket who have gone on to succeed, there are also many stories of players who were never able to advance past the U-19 level, including Mohammed Kaif, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Rishabh Pant, Yuvraj Singh, and Rohit Sharma.

Tanmay Srivastava of Kanpur scored the most runs for the side (262 in six games) before to Kohli's 2008 Kuala Lumpur debut as a prized prospect.

Although Srivastava made his first-class debut before Kohli, the two men's careers went in somewhat opposite directions, with Srivastava eventually going out of style.

In the global arena, it is not simple. The quality difference is enormous, and players must adapt to different degrees of changing circumstances. Your level of responsibility rises, and you must adapt to these changes. An anonymous former member of the India U-19 support staff said, "If you lose your focus, you are gone."

"The mental component comes first. The highest level of cricket involves 20% technical skills and 80% mental skills. Along with it, you have to deal with injuries and form loss. Because you control your own fate, life is difficult.

Along with Jadeja, spinner Iqbal Abdulla of the KKR and pacer Siddharth Kaul shared the record for most wickets taken in 2008, however they were not victorious.

It's never simple to handle the demands of playing first-class cricket. It's a whole different problem, and you must act responsibly. According to a former national selector, "many players begin to doubt their abilities once they face failure in the journey ahead."

A few years before, Chand had said that mental aptitude—the ability to comprehend the circumstance, adjust one's game, and have an unquenchable desire to succeed every time—carries more weight than technical skill.

Sreevats Goswami of Bengal, who played for Kohli's 2008 U-19 championship squad, concurs.

"Being a senior in college puts you in a competitive ocean with many other players." Consequently, the competition is more fiercer there. According to Sreevats, "it's all about survival of the fittest; those who can adapt mentally more quickly succeed."

None of the Indian team that won the 2022 World Cup has advanced to the senior level so far. Injuries have taken a toll on Bengal's left-arm quick Ravi Kumar, who was second in the West Indies among Indian wicket-takers.

"I did participate in few Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Bengal after the World Cup.
But regrettably, I hurt my ankle and then strained my calf. When you have to make a return at the senior level, it might be challenging, according to Ravi.

To have more Kohlis than Chands from U-19 teams, however, what has to be done?

Rahul Dravid had told the players during his time on Prithvi Shaw's squad that they should see this World Cup as a stepping stone rather than the culmination of their careers. Often, that attitude shift is what separates success from failure.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.