Former South Africa pacer Makhaya Ntini feels the seeds of Virat Kohli's stardom were sown at the U-19 World Cup back in 2008 when he captained the Indian team to the title.
"If you look at players like Virat Kohli and Kagiso Rabada, they all started playing U-19 cricket and representing their country in the U-19 World Cup, and look where they are today," Ntini wrote in a column for the ICC.
"A lot of the big players now started in the U-19 World Cup, and that is where you can get noticed and be seen by the world."
"Without a doubt, the U19 World Cup helps develop young players as people as well as just cricketers. At the age of 19 or younger, you're still trying to understand how you can learn about the game, and the U19 World Cup helps them develop and learn to stand up for themselves."