The best playing XI of cricketers who have captained India in U19 cricket history

U19 is a crucial age group for every international team. This is the group wherein cricketers play before stepping onto the senior level. Hence, the boards need to have a good U19 team. Since 1978, India has had a U19 team. In this article, we take a look at the best playing XI of cricketers who have captained India in U19 cricket history.

Captains for the U19 team are appointed based on whether the cricketers would have led teams in the preceding age groups. Usually, there is very little data to make this decision. U19 cricket is such that all players who are part of this group may not make the move to the next level successfully. The same stands for the captaincy department in U19 cricket too.

Openers: K Srikkanth and Rahul Dravid

Srikkanth and Dravid will open the batting for this playing XI of cricketers who have captained India in U19 cricket history. The Tamil Nadu opener happens to be the first-ever captain for the Indian U19 Team. He led the youth Test Team way back in 1978. He had only two games to showcase his skills. Srikkanth could not lead the youth team in the ODI format. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid led the U19 squad in both formats. He later led India, too, in both formats. Hence, he is also a part of this list.

Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Dinesh Karthik (WK)

The middle order of this team comprises cricketers from this era. Although Ambati Rayudu was the main captain in his batch, DK also got a chance to captain the team in one game. Virat Kohli led the Indian U19 Team in both formats. He also won the U19 World Cup in 2008. Rishabh Pant captained the ODI Team in one encounter.

All-Rounders: Ravi Shastri, Ravindra Jadeja, Gnaneshwara Rao, and Reetinder Singh Sodhi

Usually, batters get nominated as captains and in some cases, all-rounders, too. Therefore, to maintain the balance of this XI, we have a big all-rounder's department. Ravi Shastri was the first captain of the Indian U19 Team in the ODI format. He had also led the team in the Test format. Even Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Gnaneshwara Rao achieved this feat. Ravindra Jadeja captained the ODI Team in one encounter. 

Bowlers: Ajit Agarkar and Piyush Chawla

Ajit Agarkar and Piyush Chawla will headline the bowling attack for this playing XI of cricketers who have captained India in U19 cricket history. While Ajit Agarkar led the team only in the Test format, Piyush Chawla led the U19 squad in both formats. These two players will form the core of the bowling attack with contributions also coming in from the likes of Jadeja.