Kohli's boys who could be king, but who knows?

The news of Virat Kohli's boys winning the Under-19 cricket World Cup must have been music to the ears of cricket crazy Indians, more so to those who swear by the mantra of youth. However, for two gentlemen in their mid-20s, it must have evoked a sense of dejavu.

It was eight years back that Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh first shot into the limelight when they were part of the team which won the youth World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000, the former being the captain of the squad.

The same year, both cut their teeth into international cricket - with the more flamboyant 'Yuvi' hitting it rich on his senior debut in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi as Kaif made a more measured progress.

In the years that followed, both were party to many of India's thrilling one-day exploits - the most memorable one being when they brought India back from the dead to chase down 325 and win the NatWest Trophy in 2002. More of such acts followed, with the duo being referred to as two of the best finishers of the game, who prospered under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly.

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However, not all of Kaif's teammates in that squad were as lucky. How many cricket buffs do remember somebody like a Ravneet Ricky, a hardhitting opening batsman from Delhi who played a big hand on that occasion? Or Reetinder Singh Sodhi, a fiesty allrounder whose one-day career with the seniors was cut short by a back injury?

The bottomline is quite simple: not all of the sportspersons who steal the thunder in their youth do make the cut later. There are some who are the proverbial late bloomers, or else, when the likes of Kaif and Singh were already budding stars in their own rights, how can one explain one Mahendra Singh Dhoni plying his trade for Bihar in the zonal category of Ranji Trophy matches?

The likes of a Kohli, who picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards on way to India's triumph or a Tanmay Srivastav, Pradeep Sangwan or Srivatsa Goswami must be on a high now but make no mistake - not all of them may go on to rub shoulders with their famed, cash-rich seniors on the circuit.

For a while, instant fame (or even a call from the IPL franchise-holders' talent spotters) may follow, but a tougher journey awaits all of them.

Till then, however, one thing is certain: the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands!

The bottomline is quite simple: not all of the sportspersons who steal the thunder in their youth do make the cut later. There are some who are late bloomers.