Year Ender 2025: Vaibhav to Abhigyan - Top 7 Young Indian Cricketers Who Made Their Mark

2025 marked the rise of young Indian cricketers in domestic and youth tournaments. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre, and Abhigyan Kundu set records, while Aaron George and Deepesh Devendran impressed in the U19 Asia Cup.

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Young Indian Stars Who Stood Out with their Performances

The year 2025 witnessed several young Indian cricketers who showcased their talent to the world on the big stage and announced themselves as stars of the future. These young stars took significant steps forward in their development during the year and are expected to make further strides in their careers in the coming years. 

On that note, let's take a look at top young Indian stars who stood out with their performances in 2025. 

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Indian batting sensation has had a remarkable year, during which he announced his arrival as the next big thing in Indian cricket. The 14-year-old prodigy from Bihar had a phenomenal debut IPL season, where he amassed 252 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 36 in seven matches. He carried on his momentum into the Youth ODI and Test series against England and Australia. 

Ever his phenomenal IPL season, Suryavanshi has been on the rise, consistently performing well, emerging as the highest run-getter in the Asia Cup Emerging Stars, the second-highest run-getter in the U19 Asia Cup, and a 108-run knock against Maharashtra in theSyed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Recently, Vaibhav Suryavanshi had a record-breaking knock of 190 off 84 balls in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh. 

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Ayush Mhatre

Ayush Mhatre was handed leadership duties in India's U19 team following his brilliant IPL season, where he played for the Chennai Super Kings and amassed 240 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 34.28 in seven matches. The 18-year-old led India U19 to a series win over England and clinched the Youth ODI and Test series wins against Australia in their backyards, respectively. 

Mhatre had an impressive outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he recorded two back-to-back centuries against Vidarbha and Andhra, making him the youngest player to achieve this feat across all formats. Though Mhatre, who is nursing his wrist injury, failed to impress in Youth ODIs, but is the highest run-getter in Youth Tests this year, amassing 378 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 54.00 in seven innings.

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Aaron George

Another player who has not caught the attention of the Indian cricket fraternity, but impressed with his performance in the recently concluded U19 Asia Cup 2025. He is none other than Aaron George from Kerala, who played his first major series or tournament at the youth level at the Asia Cup. In the continental tournament, Aaron grabbed the opportunity with both hands by smashing three consecutive fifties against the UAE, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and amassed 228 runs at an average of 76 in just 4 matches. 

His impressive outing in the Asia Cup 2025 earned him a spot in India's U19 World Cup squad, which will take place on January 15. In just one tournament, Aaron George announced himself as a promising top-order batter, turning consistent performances into a World Cup call-up.

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Abhigyan Kundu

The young batter from Mumbai, Abhigyan Kundu, was a lesser-known name in the Indian cricket fraternity till he shot to fame with his record-breaking performance against Malaysia in the U19 Asia Cup 2025. The 17-year-old played a scintillating knock of 209 off 125 balls, reaching the double century in just 121 balls. His knock consisted of 17 fours and 9 sixes, and he batted at an impressive strike rate of 167.20, dominating the Malaysian bowlers throughout. 

Kundu is the highest run-getter for India in the U19 Asia Cup, amassing 276 runs at an average o 138.00 in five matches. In Youth ODIs this year, Abhigyan Kundu is the third-highest run-getter for India, amassing 337 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 56.16 in 10 matches. In Tests, the youngster amassed 192 runs, including 2 fifties, at an average of 38.40 in five innings.

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Deepesh Devendran

India U19 pacer Deepesh Devendran was the standout bowler in the U19 Asia Cup, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in five matches. This means the 17-year-old picked an average of nearly three wickets per match across the tournament. Devendran's performance helped Team India to reach the Asia Cup final, where the Indian Colts lost to their arch-rivals, Pakistan. 

In Youth ODIs, Deepesh Devendran has picked 12 wickets at an average of 28.50 and an economy rate of 6 in 8 matches. In Tests, the Tamil Nadu pacer picked 12 wickets, including a fifer, at an average of 20.66 and an economy rate of 3.62 in three matches. 

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Vihaan Malhotra

Vihaan Malhotra is the India U19 vice-captain, acting as a deputy to skipper Ayush Mhatre, and played a crucial role as a leader in the success of Team India in tours of England and Australia. Apart from leading the side as a vice-captain, he also led from the front with the bat, contributing valuable runs in key youth matches. 

Vihaan was the fourth-highest getter for Team India in the U19 Asia Cup 2025, amassing 156 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 39 in five matches. The vice-captain is the highest run-getter for India in the Youth ODIs this year, aggregating 511 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 46.45 in 12 matches. In Tests, Vihaan is the second-highest run-getter with 315 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 54.00 in 4 matches.

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Kanishk Chouhan

Kanishk Chouhan has emerged as the reliable all-rounder for Team India, especially in Youth ODIs. The 19-year-old was quite impressive with both bat and ball, delivering consistent all-round performances and bringing balance to the Indian U19 side in Youth ODIs. In the U19 Asia Cup, Chouhan scored 97 runs at an average of 24.25 and picked seven wickets at an average of 24.42 and 5.02 in five matches. 

In Youth ODIs this year, the all-rounder has amassed 216 runs at an average of 27 and picked 20 wickets at an average of 22 and an economy rate of 4.28 in 12 matches. Kanishk Chouhan is the highest wicket-taker for Team India in Youth ODIs this year.