The wicketkeeper-batter has struck two fifties in seven Youth ODIs for India U19.
The quality of players rising the ranks has a huge role to play in the cricketing journey of a country. Each team goes through transitions over the years, and the baton is passed from seniors to the ones who have shown consistency at the domestic and U19 levels. One such emerging star for India is Abhigyan Kundu. He has come into the spotlight with his 74-ball match-winning knock of an unbeaten 87 in Brisbane.
Amid the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre making headlines for their impressive performances at the U19 level, Kundu is also inching upwards. However, Kundu does not possess an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract yet, unlike his two teammates. But given his talent, this may change soon.
Kundu is a left-handed batter and wicketkeeper for the current Indian U19 side. The 17-year-old can score at a brisk rate, which helps the team accelerate in crucial phases of the match. To add to that, Kundu has repeatedly shown his capability to play long innings, which instils a lot of confidence in the management.
In an interview, he mentioned that his role models are Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, and Sachin Tendulkar. Moreover, he would like to develop his wicketkeeping skills like MS Dhoni, along with leadership qualities.
In the seven Youth ODIs Kundu has played till now in his brief career, he looks pretty set for the long haul despite the short sample size. Exactly a year after making his debut for the Indian U19 side in Youth ODIs, the left-handed batter claimed a match-winning knock. Abhigyan Kundu scored a resilient 87* against the Australia U19 side in a run-chase that looked steep at one point.
After losing two quick wickets, Kundu walked in to bat when the team’s score was 75/3. He stitched a 152-run stand with Vedant Trivedi to steer India U19 home.
In seven Youth ODIs so far, Kundu has scored 266 runs at a healthy average of 66.50. To add to that, his strike-rate of 104.31 speaks volumes about his ability to keep looking for runs. And this is what might separate him from the rest. In the seven innings played, he has scored 40+ runs on three occasions, remaining unbeaten on each occasion. In three Youth Tests, Kundu has notched up 221 runs with two fifties under his belt. Kundu will be featuring in the 2nd Youth ODI of the series on September 24.
The left-handed wicket-keeper batter has been a force to reckon with at the junior level. The skills which he possesses prove that he has the ingredients to achieve great things for India in the years to come. Abhigyan Kundu has participated in multiple high-performance camps, and the selectors would be watching him from close quarters. Moreover, good wicketkeeper-batters are never out of demand.
To add to that, the youngster has also given a glimpse of his leadership skills, being the vice-captain of the side. He has taken the team out of difficult situations multiple times, a quality which not many players have. This shows that he can stay calm under pressure.
With the performances he is showcasing, Kundu will be on the list for a lot of teams. He has represented Mumbai at the U19 level, and will be eyeing to participate in the senior Ranji side soon. Coupled with knocks like this one in Brisbane, Kundu is on his way to become a multi-format player with a jack of all trades.
ALSO READ:
Alongside his stint with the Indian U19 side, Abhigyan Kundu has been making a name in the domestic leagues as well. One of those leagues happens to be the DY Patil T20 Tournament in Mumbai. He scored an impressive 74 off just 45 deliveries in one of the games this season, with some impressive shot-making abilities.
The left-handed batter has been impressing the selectors since his school days. The Mumbai player trained at the Avinash Salvi Foundation in his early days. Playing for the Anjuman Islam Alana CSTM School in the Harris Shield in 2022, he stitched a wonderful partnership with Aryan Chauhan. Being put into bat, Kundu opened the innings and smashed 123 off just 64 deliveries to take the attack to the opposition. This knock included 18 fours and four maximums. As a result, the team posted a mammoth 420/2 on the board, and bowled the opposition out for a mere 62.
It was very clear that it was just the beginning of something great. When he was 13 years of age, Abhigyan Kundu has scored ample of runs at the junior level across formats. This record made him the teenager with the most number of runs scored at the U16 level in India and across the world.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
