Virat Kohli’s 2008 U-19 World Cup winning teammates - Where are they now
Virat Kohli played a massive role as India defeated South Africa by 12 runs (D/L) in the final to clinch the 2008 U-19 World Cup title.
When it comes to Virat Kohli’s cricketing journey, the 2008 U-19 World Cup holds a special position as it was the tournament that started it all for the Indian cricket team skipper. Kohli played a massive role as India defeated South Africa by 12 runs (D/L) in the final to clinch the title. While some of the members of that squad have gone on to represent India on the international stage, some have chosen careers completely different from cricket.
On the 11th anniversary of the U-19 World Cup victory, a look at what the members of the 2008 U-19 World Cup winning team besides Kohli are doing at present:
Ravindra Jadeja
39 Tests, 144 ODIs and 40 T20Is – Jadeja has been the most successful member of that side after Virat Kohli. Currently, he is a regular in the Test team and recently made a brilliant comeback to limited-overs cricket at the Asia Cup. When it comes to the IPL, he has played for Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals and has won two trophies for CSK.
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Ajitesh Argal
Argal, who won the Man of the Match award in World Cup final for taking 2 wickets for 7 runs in his 5 overs, doesn’t play cricket anymore. He works as an Income Tax department inspector in Vadodara.
Napoleon Einstein
The cricketer, who was in the news for his unusual name, was selected by Chennai Super Kings for the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League. However, there is not much information on him and some reports suggest that that the right-handed batsman does not play professional cricket anymore.
Shreevats Goswami
The wicketkeeper batsman, who scored 152 in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, went on to represent Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. In the domestic scene, he is representing Bengal and is one of their star performers.
Perry Goyal
Goyal did not play in a single World Cup match and after the tournament, the wicketkeeper batsman left cricket for a career in management. Currently, he is a director in a company called RSG Properties.
Iqbal Abdulla
Abdulla was one of India’s best bowlers in the tournament as he ended up taking 10 wickets at an average of 13. A regular in the Mumbai Ranji team, Abdullah moved to Kerala in 2016. In the Indian Premier League, he has represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Siddarth Kaul
With 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is in the kitty, the talented pacer from Punjab is still trying to make his way into the side. He has been a strong performer for Punjab in the domestic circuit and in IPL, he has played for Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Taruwar Kohli
Taruwar Kohli played for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and in the second edition, he joined Kings XI Punjab. While playing for his state Punjab, he scored a triple hundred in the Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Jharkhand in the 2012-13 season. In 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kohli represented Mizoram and he was the leading run-scorer (373) and leading wicket-taker (8) for his side.
Abhinav Mukund
Mukund is an established cricketer when it comes to the domestic circuit and he has been a top run-scorer for Tamil Nadu, South Zone, India A, and Rest of India. Mukund was also a part of the Indian Test team that toured West Indies and England in 2011 but was dropped from the team due to lack of runs. In 2017, he made his comeback in the Indian side and made a gritty 81 against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Manish Pandey
Although Pandey did not have a good outing in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, he has played 23 ODIs and 25 T20Is for the Indian team. In the IPL, he played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. For RCB, he became the first Indian batsman to score a century in IPL and he then guided KKR to the title in the 2014 edition.
Pradeep Sangwan
Sangwan, who held the distinction of being the only Indian to have a five-wicket haul in the tournament, was a part of Delhi Ranji team and also played for Delhi Daredevils, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians in IPL. He was banned for 18 months for using drugs during the 2013 edition.
Duvvarapu Siva Kumar
The bowling all-rounder still represents Andhra Pradesh in the domestic cricket circuit. The 28-year old has scored 1061 runs and has taken 133 wickets in 42 first-class matches for his state team.
Tanmay Srivastava
Srivastava was India’s best performer with the bat in the 2008 U-19 World Cup with 262 runs at an average of 52. However, despite the promise he showed early in the career, he was unable to make it big at the top level. At present, he is one of the batting mainstays for the Uttar Pradesh side.
Saurabh Tiwary
Tiwary managed to play 3 ODIs for the Indian cricket team. He was picked up by Mumbai Indians team in 2010 IPL and went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, and Rising Pune Supergiants. Tiwary continues to play for his state team Jharkhand in domestic cricket.