Whenever Shikhar Dhawan sees that man-of-the-tournament trophy in his drawing room, his mind wanders back to the good times. The adulation, despite the semi-final loss in the under-19 World Cup, the dhol nachna-gana by his colony residents... and how they jostled each other to carry him on their shoulders during the celebratory parade.

That was after Bangladesh 2004, when he alone had scored as many runs as everyone else in the team put together.

The next year, he was amongst the runs in his maiden Ranji Trophy season, represented India A, and scored a century in the Challenger Trophy playing for India Seniors.

Unfortunately for him, that was his closest association with the big boys before he was lost in transition.

Another Delhiite, Mayank Tehlan, represented India in the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Virender Sehwag’s cousin, Tehlan’s flamboyant off-side play brought him out of that massive shadow. A match-winning knock in the quarter-finals capped a great season, one where he had scored a majestic 176 on Ranji debut. He had arrived on the big stage. Or so he thought.

Four years hence, the left-handed opener and right-handed middle-order bat are back again, rising from the dust — this time without the ‘under-19 superstar’ tag.

2004: Dhawan; 2006: Tehlan. Is there a lesson in here for Virat Kohli and Pradeep Sangwan? Shikhar and Mayank vouch for the fact that the under-19 bubble burst very soon — either due to a lack of opportunities in the next phase or inconsistent performances at the Ranji level.

... contd.