The six who stood out

Gill, a 17-year-old from Ferozpur in Punjab, wasted two chances after getting decent starts in the first two ODIs. On both occasions, he went too hard at the ball, playing too early. "He's been getting starts," India U-19 coach Rahul Dravid said. "We challenged him to see if he can convert it. He has the hunger, that's what you want to see." He accepted that challenge by hitting two belligerent centuries in the next two ODIs, showcasing a variety of strokes on both sides of the wicket. He had no trouble against bouncers, and took on the pull when the bowlers dropped short. He finished as the series' highest run-getter.

In November 2016, Rawlins was playing for Bermuda in World Cricket League Division Four. A little over three months later, he finished his debut U-19 series for England as their best batsman. Rawlins struck a match-winning hundred on his debut, and hit 46 and 96 in the subsequent ODIs. He was the only batsman from both sides to display the power needed in modern-day hitting. He also contributed with eight wickets with his accurate left-arm spin at an average of 29.87. As the series wore on, his feisty nature came to the fore too; he was often involved in verbal squabbles with batsmen, and freely expressed his disappointment at umpire's calls. He fits the mould of an international player, and could go on to wear an England shirt for the senior team.

Rana immediately displayed why he was one of the few players in this series to play domestic cricket - he has represented Haryana in the Ranji Trophy. He showed exemplary technique, had enough time to pull off the front foot and played the ball late, close to the body. He entered the ODIs on the back of 130 and 71 in the ACC Under-19s Asia Cup. He extended his run of consecutive fifty-plus scores to four with another century and a fifty in the first two ODIs. "We challenged everyone to follow Himanshu's lead, a benchmark to follow," Dravid said. He was proficient against both spin and pace, and rarely faced any trouble in finding gaps at the start of his innings or in the middle overs.

Fisher, who came into this series just having recovered from a hamstring injury, was England's most penetrative bowler through the series. He immediately impacted the series with four wickets each in the first two games. He was troubled by his hamstring again, and was forced to miss two games. His leadership and experience - he has played county cricket for Yorkshire - was significant. "I've played cricket with Tim Bresnan, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid," he said. "They give you nuggets that stick with you, using that to feed it back to these guys." Fisher, 19, has already had to deal with several hurdles in his young career: he is virtually deaf in his left ear and had to cope with the loss of his father to bowel cancer in 2012. "There's one person, my dad, who isn't with us anymore. But he'll be proud of me."

Shaw, 17, had gained prominence when he struck 546 off 330 balls in a Haris Shield game. After scoring 191 runs in five games in the ACC Asia Cup, he was picked in Mumbai's squad for the Ranji Trophy knockouts. He subsequently made 239 runs in two matches. With a commendable body of work behind him, it was no surprise he came into the series as India's most promising player. Scores of 9 and 12 followed in the first two ODIs. "He's got a long way to go, a lot to learn," Dravid said of Shaw. "None of them are finished products, they're learning along the way, they're going to have ups and downs." After being left out of the third ODI, he celebrated his return with an 89-ball 105 that included 12 fours and two sixes. With India's insistence on rotation, Shaw was left out for the final ODI.

Pope's parents had flown to Mumbai from Middlesex to watch their son play. Pope was consistent at No. 5, one of the toughest positions to bat in the subcontinent. In five ODIs, he scored 179 runs in five matches with a highest score of 59, holding together England's fragile middle order. Visibly, he hadn't developed the power to hit sixes straight, but has the whole range of strokes. His wicketkeeping was inconspicuous, and it remained tidy through the series.