10 Cricket's very own child prodigies

10 Cricket’s very own child prodigies: Cricket is a sport which over the years has seen many players defying the age factor and proving that age is never a constraint for any aspiring cricketer. Age is just a number holds indubitably true in this case. The gentleman’s game has not failed to mesmerize one and all by producing juvenile, young prodigies who have engrossed audiences with their guile and unrivaled zeal by playing top quality cricket matching their more experienced and aged peers in skill and mental fortitude. Many have showed promising signs initially but only to fade away in the murk after flashes of brilliance here and there, while some announced themselves on the big stage and have consistently performed well. Let’s take a look at 10 Cricket’s very own child prodigies: 1. Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar. (© GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images) Tendulkar’s advent on to the cricketing scene was in November 1989 when a lanky 16-year-old boy brandished a cricket bat and walked on to the pitch with great grit and determination. Little did he know that he would go on to create new cricketing records on a daily basis and end up as one of the game’s finest ever to wield a cricket bat between the palms. Even before his debut, Tendulkar had knocked many a people’s socks in the cricketing world when he and Vinod Kambli shared a 663 run partnership in a school game which stood as a record till 2006. From being a ball boy to becoming one of the all time greats, this guy has been redefining the art of batting on a daily basis. Though his debut as a 16 year old wasn’t all that impressive, it was only a humble beginning of a stellar career. Also Read – 5 Reasons why BCCI is the richest Cricket Board 2. Prithvi Shaw: (source) The current captain of the Mumbai U-16 squad, Prithvi Shaw has been hogging the limelight off late owing to his super stellar performances in school level cricket. His record breaking innings of 546 is a true testimony to his exceptional batting prowess. Shaw has amassed 4000 runs in the last three years across the circuit — mainly in school cricket competitions. Even Sachin Tendulkar is an admirer of Prithvi Shaw’s batting and it is said that he once stopped by to watch Shaw bat. 3. Nasim Ul Ghani: (source) A left arm spinner of great skills and dexterity is Nasim Ul Ghani of Bangladesh. Nasim-ul-Ghani made his debut in the Bridgetown Test of 1958 made famous by Hanif Mohammad’s 337. At 16 years and 248 days, he broke Hasan’s record as the youngest debutant, but went wicketless in that match. But notwithstanding his humble beginning he ended the tour with 2 five wicket hauls. But he is more renowned for his batting effort when he scored 101 at Lord’s coming in as a nightwatchman in 1962. 4. Sarfaraz Khan: Sarfaraz Khan. (Photo Source: BCCI) The 17-year old is part of the RCB squad, where he has impressed one and all with his fearless batting. Not many would have expected a 17 year old to face international bowlers but Sarfaraz Khan not only faced those bowlers but also played them with relative ease and with sublime flair. He scored 45 off 21 balls against Rajasthan Royals and helped his side score 200 runs. Sarfaraz was just a 4thstd student when the IPL kicked off in 2008 but now he is playing alongside the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. He sure must be cherishing and relishing every second of the IPL. 5. Mushtaq Mohammed: (source) One of the more celebrated Mohammed brothers Mushtaq became the youngest Test debutant at 16 years and 124 days when he played against West Indies at Lahore in early 1959. He relished a two decade long career and played 57 Test matches for Pakistan as a middle-order batsman and a more than useful leg-spinner. He led his country in 19 of these Tests and ended with an appreciable record of 3643 runs at 39.17 with 10 hundreds and 79 wickets at 29.22. He was also well revered in the cricketing world for being one of the first persons to innovate the reverse sweep. 6. Nikin Jose: Nikin Jose Nikin Jose, the 15-year-old caught everyone’s eye when he sparkled in the last league match of KPL 2015 for Mysuru Warriors against Rockstars where he came up with a Man of the match performance. Nikin made his cricket debut as opening batsman in Mysuru Zone Under-14 side in 2013. Nikin Jose smashed a double century in U16 category of “Save the Tiger” Cup. Nikin led his side, JoJo CC in the tournament and smashed an unbeaten 200 in just 85 balls with help of 27 fours and 7 sixes against Karavali Cricketers. His performance helped his side to put on a score of 323 without the loss of a wicket in 28 overs. With bowling figures of 3.2-0-11-6 against Rockstars, Nikin Jose became the first player in history of KPL to pick up a 6-wicket haul. Only 2 players before Nikin managed to pick 5-wickets in an innings in KPL. He now holds the record for the best bowling figures in KPL. 7. Piyush Chawla: (source) Piyush Chawla’s cricketing career dates long back in his early teens. As a 15-year-old he represented India Under-19 and Uttar Pradesh U-22. Before he made his first-class debut, at 17, he had already bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a googly in a Challenger Series match. Though he has an unfortunate reputation of leaking away too many runs, his wicket taking ability indemnifies for it. He has been a regular in the IPL. Chawla is also a world cup winner. He was part of the 2011 world cup winning Indian squad. 8. Waqar Younis: Waqar Younis. (Photo Source: Vic Isaacs) Arguably the one who has perfected the art of reverse swing bowling, Waqar Younis had played only six first class games when he got picked for the Pakistan camp at the tender age of seventeen. Waqar made his International cricket debut for Pakistan against India on 16 November 1989, in the same match that Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar made his debut. Waqar took 4 wickets in the drawn match including the wickets of Tendulkar and Kapil Dev.He and Wasim Akram became one of the most feared bowling duos in cricket. 9. Hasan Raza: (source) He broke into the international test cricket scene when he was just 14 years old representing Pakistan. However, doubts persisted about the validity of his birthday and medical tests led Pakistani officials to withdraw the claims of the record as the youngest debutant. A gifted timer of the ball, Raza was dropped after his lack luster debut against Zimbabwe in 1996. His form was on and off and he was dropped and recalled many times. Going by his official age, he is just 31 and he can be recalled yet again. But, chances of that seem frail as of now. 10. Vinod Kambli: Vinod Kambli. (Photo Source: ESPNcricinfo Ltd) He shared an unbroken partnership of 664 runs in a school match against St. Xavier’s School, Fort, with Sachin Tendulkar.Kambli contributed 349 runs before their coach Acharekar forced the pair to declare; he then took 6 wickets for 37 in St. Xavier’s first innings. He at one point of time struck two consecutive double centuries in test cricket. But over time, his form dipped and he was subsequently neglected in the team selection. Also Read – Top 10 Fastest 200s in Test cricket

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10 Cricket's very own child prodigies

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10 Cricket&#039;s very own child prodigies

8. Waqar Younis:

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10 Cricket's very own child prodigies