The U-19 World Cup-winning team of 2012: Where are they now?

The U-19 World Cup-winning team of 2012: Where are they now?

India's 2012 U-19 World Cup side

The Indian team is one of the most successful sides at the under-19 level all over the world. Starting from 2000, the ‘Men in Blue’ have clinched four World Cup titles in this age group category, more than any other country.

After winning in 2000 and 2008, India clinched their third trophy under the captaincy of Unmukt Chand. They defeated the Aussies in the final match by six wickets at Townsville. However, not all members of that side were later able to make it to the senior team and let’s look where are those title-winning players now?

Unmukt Chand (Captain)

India’s captain and centurion of the final match, Chand, unfortunately never got an opportunity to make a debut for the national side. The youngster was associated with the Delhi domestic team and several franchises in the IPL, before announcing retirement and moving to the US to start his second innings. 

Akshdeep Nath (Vice-Captain)

Akshdeep Nath had a poor tournament, managing just 46 runs in six matches but made the debut for Uttar Pradesh in the same year only. Over the years, he has been a part of Gujarat Lions, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, but never able to make it big in the sport.

Hanuma Vihari

Andhra’s Hanuma Vihari turned out to be the most successful player from that Indian Under-19 team. The middle-order batter has cemented his side in the Test side, especially in the overseas conditions. The right-hander has contributed to India’s some of the most famous victories in red-ball cricket. 

Baba Aparjith

Tamil Nadu’s Baba Aparajith was one of the most talented players from that lot who failed to live up to his billing. However, he developed a big name in the domestic circuit and was even selected for Rising Pune Supergiants and Chennai Super Kings setup, but is yet to make his IPL debut.

Prashant Chopra

The Himachal Pradesh opening batter had a decent tournament back in 2012 after scoring three fifties and went on to become one of the vital cogs for his state. Prasant Chopra was later selected to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up and has played two IPL matches.

Vijay Zol

Vijay Zol is a classy and aggressive middle-order batter who was reportedly the first choice to lead the side before Chand was chosen as skipper. The southpaw had a decent outing scoring 151 runs in six matches at 25.16 and was even signed up by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Smit Patel

Smit Patel has an almost similar story to that of his skipper Chand, who had announced his retirement from Indian cricket and moved to the USA to play Minor League Cricket. The youngster had scored 168 runs in six matches during the Under WC and played a crucial role in the final match.

Harmeet Singh

The Mumbai native Harmeet Singh was rated highly for his off-spin bowling skills. Some of the experts even went on to compare him to the legendary Bishen Singh Bedi for the enviable loop in his deliveries. However, Harmeet’s name came up during the IPL match-fixing saga of 2013 when a bookie alleged that he tried to contact him. 

Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma made a big in the IPL with exceptional swinging skills with the new ball. Interestingly, Sharma played two Under-19 World Cups for India – 2012 being his second one. The Patiala-born has been associated with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and SRH, featuring in almost 100 games in the cash-rich league. 

Ravikant Singh

Ravikant Singh was India’s one of the lead fast bowlers in the iconic title-winning journey back in 2012. He was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition claiming 12 wickets at a brilliant average of 14.91. However, Singh played only one List A game for Bengal against India B in the same year then featured in a T20 match in 2019.

Kamal Passi

Kamal Passi returned home from the U-19 World Cup with 10 wickets in his kitty. But he did not translate that potential into domestic cricket in India as the right-arm medium pacer played only four FC matches and one List A before walking away from the game.

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