3 players from U19 World Cup 2008 whom Virat Kohli will face again in 2019 WC

The ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales begins on 30th May 2019. 10 teams will compete in this tournament. The first match would be played between hosts England and South Africa. India will begin their campaign on June 5, when they take on the Proteas.

India, who are being considered favorites to win this trophy, is mainly due to their star Virat Kohli. Since his debut, he has redefined the art of batting and will be leading India in the tournament. He had a shot to fame in 2008 when he led the Indian U-19 team to the World Cup glory. He personally had 235 runs to his name in 6 matches.

Since then, Virat’s 11-year journey in the world cricket has been remarkable. He already has registered innumerable records to his name, and he continues to do so. Not only Virat, but many other talented players also emerged from that World Cup. On this note, let us take a look at some of the players from the Under 19 World Cup 2008, who will provide competition to him in the upcoming 2019 world cup as well

Steve Smith (Australia)

Steve Smith is probably the toughest competitor for Virat in world cricket. However, one must not forget that he played the Under-19 WC as a leg spinner. He made his international debut soon but was dropped from the team after Australia lost the 2010-11 Ashes series. This was because he was never effective as a bowler.  2013 witnessed another version of this player, a version that changed his life forever.

He transformed into a batsman and soon reached at the top of the ICC rankings after scoring 700+ runs in the home series against India. He is now back with the Australian team after completing 1-year ban due to ball tampering scandal. He was the hero of the Australian team which knocked India out of ICC 2015 World Cup. He would again be competing with his arch-rival in 2019 WC.