From India's Saharan to SA's Maphaka: Five U-19 cricketers to keep an eye on

In the 38th over of India's run chase in the U-19 World Cup final on Sunday, as the five-time champions were hurtling towards defeat, Naman Tiwari was heard on the stump mic telling Abhishek Murugan: "Yaad rakhna, haarenge par seekh ke jaayenge (Remember, we will lose but will learn and go back)."

- Vivek Krishnan

As Tiwari seems to have grasped, the U-19 platform is essentially about making an impression and imbibing lessons that serve well in the long run. A look at five players who were most impressive during the three-week-long U-19 World Cup.

Uday Saharan (India)

The India skipper finished as the leading run-getter of the tournament 397 runs in seven innings at 56.71. More than the volume of runs though, it was the circumstances in which Saharan's best knocks came that threw light on his steely temperament. Not the most flamboyant of stroke-makers, the 19-year-old was the glue around which the Indian batting unit functioned. His defining contribution was a 124-ball 81 against South Africa in the semi-final, guiding India successfully towards a tricky target of 245. If Saharan could have stayed longer at the crease against Australia, India would have gotten a lot closer to the target than they did.

Sachin Dhas (India)