The transition from U19 level to senior level is the toughest phase any cricketer experiences in life. For a country like India, this becomes even tougher compared to other countries. Not all players make it to the senior squad even after achieving success at the junior level.
Taking major sporting nations like India-25(23.8%), Australia-28(26.6%), England-14(13.3%), SouthAfrica-15(14.2%), Pakistan-24(22.8%) and WestIndies-18(17.1%). So at maximum, only 20 percent go on to play for their senior side.
At the junior level, the only skill set is tested the most but after that, they require patience and strength which not all would be able to acquire.
Where do the other players go?
The other players mainly play for their domestic sides till their retirement. In India, the competition is very high where players who perform extremely well in Ranji Trophy too find it difficult to make the senior team.
Let's take the example of Amol Muzumdar he has scored more than 11000 runs in Ranji but was never called up to the national side. This is due to fact that he was fighting for a place among the greats such as Sachin, Ganguly, and Lakshman.
Not all players are big hits even at the domestic level after achieving considerable success as juniors. That is because, at the U-19 stage, it is mostly about skills. Patience and strength are acquired later, but in some cases, they are not. However, it boils down to a simple case of supply outweighing demand.
This can be explained by taking Virat Kohli who will go on play for India for almost 15 years. Every state will be having good 1 down players performing exceedingly well across seasons. But to replace Kohli is highly impossible. The only thing which they can do is to perform well all seasons and be in the reckoning of selectors.
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