Team India has dominated the 2026 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, winning all six matches before the ongoing final against England. India is aiming for a sixth Under-19 World Cup title, having last won in 2022.
They will overcome an England Under-19 side that has also been unbeaten thus far in the competition. India has historically been a mixed bag in Under-19 World Cup finals, winning five out of their nine appearances.
India has consistently appeared on Finals day, giving several future stars their first taste of the big stage. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill, among others, made their mark in this tournament.
However, several others, who ultimately became household names of Indian cricket, have also featured in Under-19 World Cup finals but remain largely unknown.
On that note, here are five such Indian stars who are relative unknowns when it comes to participation in an Under-19 World Cup final.
#1 Cheteshwar Pujara
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara was renowned for his defiant batting in red-ball cricket. Yet, he first made an impression in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup, helping India finish as runners-up.
The right-hander was the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 349 runs at an average of over 116 in six games. Pujara was also the Player of the World Cup despite falling for a two-ball duck in the summit clash against Pakistan, where India lost by 38 runs.
Pujara went on to have a stellar Test career, scoring over 7,000 runs with 19 centuries, but played only five ODIs.
#2 Washington Sundar
Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar was part of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, where India finished second to the West Indies. The now-26-year-old had a final to forget with the bat against the Caribbean side, scoring a laborious 41-ball seven.
However, Sundar made amends with the ball despite going wicketless, with figures of 18/0 in nine overs in India’s last-over defeat. The youngster had a mediocre 2016 Under-19 World Cup, scoring 116 runs and picking up five wickets in six outings.
Yet, he has gone on to become one of India’s most reliable all-format players, with over 100 matches under his belt.
#3 Abhishek Sharma
The 2018 Under-19 World Cup is famously remembered among Indian cricket fans for the emergence of Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw. While the former was the Player of the Tournament, the latter led India on an incredible run to the title.
Yet, the man on top of the world in the shortest format at the moment, Abhishek Sharma, was also part of that side that defeated Australia in the final. The southpaw struggled in the competition, scoring only 78 runs in six matches at an average of 26.
However, Abhishek is currently the top-ranked T20I batter in the world, less than two years after his India debut in the middle of 2024.
#4 Tilak Varma
The 2020 Under-19 World Cup unearthed another gem for India in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yet, also part of that side that lost a thriller to Bangladesh in the final was T20I star Tilak Varma.
The left-hander was India’s second-highest scorer in the summit clash with 38 as India stuttered to a total of only 177. Tilak was largely unimpressive in the competition, averaging under 29 in six outings.
However, he has been India’s Mr.Reliable in T20Is, averaging a remarkable 49.29 at a strike rate of over 144 in 40 games.
#5 Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel was the other Team India youngster who played in the 2020 Under-19 final against Bangladesh. The gloveman scored only 22 in India’s final loss but enjoyed his share of highs in the tournament.
Jurel finished with an average of 44.50, including a half-century, in three innings. The 25-year-old has already produced several crucial knocks for India in his brief nine-match Test career.
Jurel has also played four T20Is since debuting in international cricket in the 2024 season.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
