The wicket-keeper batter holds two fifties in seven Youth ODIs for India U19.
The success of a cricketing nation lies on the way they approach their game. But it also depends largely on the resources they build backstage. The quality of players coming up the ranks has a huge role to play in the cricketing journey of a country. Each team goes through a transition, and the baton is always passed from seniors to the potentials who have shown consistency at the domestic and U19 levels. One such emerging star for India has been Abhigyan Kundu.
Amid the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre making headlines for their impressive performances at the U9 level, Kundu has been right up there too. The only point of difference can be that, Kundu does not possess an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract yet, unlike his two teammates. But at the end of the day, he’s just 17! And if he continues to perform in this manner, the future will be anything but bright.
Abhigyan Kundu is a left-handed batter and wicketkeeper, who walks out in the middle-order for the current Indian U19 side. The 17-year-old has the ability to 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.
Kundu hails from Mumbai, and trained at the Avinash Salvi Foundation in his early days. He instantly made a name for himself in school cricket by scoring runs across formats. 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.
It is firmly believed that a player’s ability to excel in the game comes from his performances in the 50-over format. This is because, the ODI format requires a player to adapt to different situations more often. The longest format may be biased towards the temperament side of things, while the shortest format banks on an aggressive approach. But ODIs are a different ball game, especially for a middle-order batter. The player might have to bring out different skill sets out, as per the situations demand. And not every player can excel at that.
In the seven Youth ODIs Kundu has played till now in his brief career, he looks pretty set for the long haul. Exactly a year after making his debut for the Indian U19 side in Youth ODIs, the left-handed batter claimed one of the best performance he has put up. Kundu scored a resilient 87* against the Australia U19 side in a run-chase that looked steep at a point. His partnership along with teammate Vedant Trivedi propelled India towards victory.
Australia U19 won the toss and elected to bat first in the 1st Youth ODI. They could post a par score of 225/9 in their quota of 50 overs. John James rescued the team from a worrisome situation, scoring an unbeaten 77 off just 68 deliveries. As for India, Henil Patel scalped three wickets for 38 runs. Moreover, Kishan Kumar and Kanishk Chauhan also pitched in with two wickets each.
In response, Suryavanshi started India’s innings off like he always does. He scored a fearless 38 off just 22 deliveries to provide a quickfire start. But India lost two wickets in quick succession. Skipper Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra were both back in the dugout in no time. 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 an healthy average of 66.50. To add to that, his strike-rate of 104.31 speaks volumes of 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.
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The 17-year-old left-handed wicketkeeper 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. Kundu has participated in multiple high-performance camps, and the selectors would be watching him from very 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. His hunger to lead and set the right example will pave the way towards his growth as a player. He has taken the team out of difficult situations multiple times; a quality which not many players have. This shows that he has the ability to 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 make an appearance in the senior Ranji side soon. Coupled with knocks like the one in the 1st Youth ODI against Australia, Kundu is on his way with the right recipe for the shortest format of the game as well. Overall, the youngster looks a very promising player.
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