The top 5 most promising youngsters of World Cricket at the present moment

1. Quinton de Kock – South Africa, 20, wicketkeeper, left-handed top-order batsman

De Kock is a classy wicketkeeper batsman who has shown much of his talent in his limited appearances at the international level so far, without exactly setting the world on fire.

He often bats at the top of the order, where he is capable of setting up an innings with his balanced brand of attacking but conventional stroke-play.

Strong forward off square and with a penchant for the pull, De Kock boasts a first-class batting average of 55.7 and a strike rate of 85, which quite frankly is phenomenal for a keeper-batsman, even considering the relatively small sample size.

2. Unmukt Chand – India, 20, right-handed top-order batsman

Probably my favourite of this group, Chand is very much in the mould of many modern batsman, in that he likes to dominate off the front foot. This despite being quite adept all around the wicket.

An old head on young shoulders, Chand is already averaging nigh on 40 in first-class cricket and has leadership potential in spades.
The highlight of his career to date would have to be his stroke-filled unbeaten hundred in last year’s under 19 World Cup final against Australia.

There is a level of confidence in Chand’s stroke-play that reminds me of Virat Kohli, and they have had a similar career path to date – both captaining India U19 to World Cup victory.

3. Jason Holder – West Indies, 21, right-arm medium-fast

Holder stands at 6’7″, which obviously makes him a very difficult proposition to face. Needless to say, Holder obtains steep bounce and this is his major attribute at this stage of his development, as his pace is reasonable without being outstanding.

His first class bowling average of 21 also makes for impressive reading.

4. Mitchell Marsh – Australia, 21, middle-order batsman, right-arm medium-fast

Still only 21, but seems to have been around for ages. Some would argue this a highly speculative pick, given his off-field misdemeanours, injuries and relatively underwhelming performance to date, particularly in first class cricket.

He has potential in spades, which is a cursed cliche in the sporting world – just ask Shane Watson.

Marsh is a high-impact player who can do some real damage and change the game in the course of an hour. He is probably a better batsman at this stage than a bowler, ideally suited as a top six batsman and second change bowler.

5. Sanju Samson - India, 19, Wicket-keeper

Another promising name in the list. We have all seen him playing for Rajasthan Royals last IPL, and he performed so good, Rajasthan eventually retained him.

Not only IPL, his performances in the domestic sector is also highly appreciable. The recently concluded U-19 World Cup, which sadly India didn’t win, Sanju was one of the best performers for India.

At a early age of 19, and seeing how he is playing, he might be the man who will take Dhoni’s place in the team once he retires.