No use talking about what could have been, says Unmukt Chand

"Of course, for any Under-19 player, the World Cup is the most important thing. The hard work of so many years - from junior cricket to Under-16 and so on, it's like a summit for any junior cricketer to reach there and definitely. Just like winning the World Cup is a dream, similarly, lifting the Under-19 World Cup is also one," Chand told former India batsman Aakash Chopra on his show AakashVani on his YouTube Channel.

"Four years ago, I had seen Virat bhaiya leading the side and winning the cup, so since it was fresh in the memory its impact was big. I knew stories could be different. It's not like you always automatically play for India but for me it was more important to win the Under-19 World Cup."

Chand has managed to score 3,379 runs in 67 First Class matches. He said that he had been scoring runs after the 2012 tournament and even captained the India A squad but never got his call-up.

"It's not like I didn't get opportunities after the win. I played for India A and I was captaining the team till 2016 as well. I was getting runs. A few times I was told ‘just be ready, we'll be picking you'. But that's ok. To say that had I played, I would have done this and that isn't logical. The most important is what happened and what I could have learnt," Chand said.

"At times it's like you're aware that the Indian cricket team is about combinations. I remember very clearly that when things were going well with me, Viru bhaiya and Gautam bhaiya used to open for India. Then there was a time when there was a dearth of good openers, and during that period, my form was under a slump. Those things are also important," Chand said.