After a vigorous victory over the USA in their first game, the India Under-19 team got back to action for their second match of the ongoing 2026 World Cup. Today (January 17), at Bulawayo, they were up against a rapidly advancing Bangladesh team, but India fell behind early as they were at 53/3 in the 10th over. This once again put the pressure on wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu, who had already saved the team before. The 17-year-old scored a crucial 42* off 41 balls in the tournament opener for India and kept the pursuit going despite the loss of early wickets.

 

Kundu exhibited a similar composure during the match with Bangladesh, and he made a nice 80 off 112 balls, including four fours and three sixes. His contribution carried India to a respectable total of 238. The exciting game has been stopped because of rain, with Bangladesh at 90/2 after 18 deliveries. During the hold-up for the resumption of play in what looks like a close finish, five curiosities about Abhigyan Kundu, who is rapidly gaining the title of the crisis player for India Under-19, are shared.

 

Abhigyan Kundu’s unforgettable double century:

 

Last year, the name of Abhigyan Kundu became quite popular among the Indian cricket followers when he scored an incredible double century. To be more specific, he made the score of 209 runs off just 125 balls in the Under-19 Asia Cup match against Malaysia in December 2025 after coming in at No.5 during the 11th over.

 

Along with that, he was hitting 17 fours and 9 sixes and India made a total of 408 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 50 overs. India later won the match by 315 runs, Kundu's innings remained to be the main highlight of the game. 

 

It is a pity though that the match was not given the 'Official Youth ODI' status because otherwise, the wicketkeeper would have become the first Indian to score a Youth ODI double ton and the fastest double hundred overall at that age group.

 

An enormous yearning for high scores:

 

India featured Kundu's composed innings in the first World Cup match against the USA, but his former coach Chetan Jadhav was not so astonished. Why? Simply because Jadhav has been witnessing Kundu's potential to pile on the runs for a long time, which was pointed out by him after the USA game.

 

Kundu had already been boasting of his considerable number of hundreds from the age of 10 before the World Cup. He came close to yet another century against Bangladesh, getting out for 80 with three overs remaining.

 

Debuting in red-ball cricket, he made a mockery of England:

 

Generally, young subcontinental batters could not handle the first innings in England. But, with great precision, Abhigyan Kundu passed the test of red-ball conditions during India Under-19's England tour last year.

 

His first bat at the this age group in England, he played a fantastic inning of 90 runs in 95 balls at No.5. Although the four-day match ended in a draw, his contribution was vital for India, who scored a massive 540 in the first innings. Kundu's bat saw him make another good score of 65 in the second and last Youth Test. He ended the tour with a remarkable average of 41.50 across four innings.

 

White-ball excellence in Australia:

 

Following his brilliant performances in England's traditional formats, Kundu showed his white-ball talent in Australia at the end of the same year. In the first Youth ODI against Australia in Brisbane, he made a superb 87* off 74 balls.

 

Kundu was still playing well and scored another 71 off 64 balls, also at the same place, in the second match. His two fifties were the main reason India was able to establish a strong 2-0 lead in the series of three matches. The 17-year-old player wrapped up the Australian tour with an incredible average of 158 and a strike rate of 114.49.

 

Also Read | UPW-W vs MI-W: Meg Lanning Script History With 11th Half-Century in WPL

 

Winning home matches in the Challenger Trophy:

 

After winning in England and Australia, the next place was India, and the young star Abhigyan Kundu was expected to do it in India too. He did it with great style during the Under-19 One Day Challenger Trophy.

 

Kundu, playing for Team A, made two centuries in four innings, and his average of 310 with a strike rate of 127.57 were the best in the tournament. His display of skills helped Team A finish the league stage with two wins and one loss, later they also became champions by defeating Team D in the final. Kundu performed again in the finale with a crucial 105* off 72 deliveries in a difficult chase of 257.