Cooch Behar Trophy

The Cooch Behar Trophy is India's national cricket tournament for under-19 players. It has been held annually since the 1945-46 season.

History

The trophy was donated by, and named after, the family of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar.[1] From 1945-46 to 1986-87 the Cooch Behar Trophy was a schools competition. It changed to an under-19 competition in 1987-88.

Current format

Matches are played over four days. All 28 Ranji Trophy teams field sides, except for Services. To make up four groups of seven teams each, a team from the non-Ranji Trophy states participates under the name "Associate Combined XI Under-19s". After the group matches are completed, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final are held.

The tournament usually extends from early November to late January.

Prominent players

Many Test players have been prominent in the Cooch Behar Trophy in their youth. Budhi Kunderan and Rusi Surti scored centuries in North Zone Schools' victory in the 1954-55 final.[2] Ashok Mankad represented West Zone Schools in the final for three consecutive seasons from 1960-61 to 1962-63. [3] Karsan Ghavri and Mohinder Amarnath were the leading bowlers on opposing sides in a semi-final in 1967-68.[4] Sachin Tendulkar scored 214 for Bombay Under-19s in 1988-89.[5] He made his Test debut less than a year later.

In the final in 1999-2000 Yuvraj Singh made 358 in Punjab Under-19s' total of 839 for 5.[6] According to Yuvraj, the Cooch Behar Trophy was second only to the Ranji Trophy in importance for young cricketers at the time, but has declined in status since then, supplanted by the Indian Premier League.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Dasgupta, Shamya (31 October 2014). "Royalty, cricket and the Cooch Behar story". Wisden India. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "North Zone Schools v West Zone Schools 1954-55". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ "Miscellaneous matches played by Ashok Mankad". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ "North Zone Schools v West Zone Schools 1967-68". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "Bombay Under-19s v Maharashtra Under-19s 1988-89". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "Bihar Under-19s v Punjab Under-19s 1999-2000". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Yuvraj Singh, The Test of My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back, Random House India, 2013.
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