Meet Virat Kohli's WC winning teammate who became Income Tax officer, returning to cricket as…

Bhopal-born, Vadodara-groomed cricketer Ajitesh Argal was the man of the match of the memorable final 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. A young Virat Kohli led India to the first of many triumphs as captain. Argal starred with a stunning bowling performance giving away just 7 runs in 5 overs and picking up two scalps as India defeated South Africa. Star all-rounder Ravinder Jadeja was also part of the team along with several IPL stars. 

A right-handed medium pacer focusing on consistency, Argal later joined the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008 season. Argal became an Income Tax department inspector. He is now making a return to cricket as a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) umpire. 

Who is Ajitesh Argal?

As a bowler and a lower-order batter, Argal had a relatively short career with Baroda on the domestic level playing 10 First Class matches, 6 T20s and 3 List A matches taking total 29 wickets. He last played for Baroda against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy in 2015.

Great catching up with the pacers who were behind the victory of India Under 19 World cup back in 2008!

Our discussions this evening was all about cricket!@iamsidkaul @ajiteshargal pic.twitter.com/jiUBZq119B

— Tanmay Srivastava (@srivastavtanmay) November 27, 2022

Argal landed a job as an Income Tax officer through the sports quota. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer has now passed the umpiring exam along with another member of Kohli’s U-19 WC team, Tanmay Srivastava. They are set to undergo the BCCI orientation programme and seminar in August, Zee News reported.