Top 3 childhood friend pairs who became international cricketers together

Over the years, the cricket pitch has seen some of the most heartwarming bonds between players. There have been several notable top cricketers who've been good friends and gone on to become fan favourites due to their sheer camaraderie on the field.

On the other hand, there have also been a few cricketers who've grown up playing together since their childhood days and have gone on to represent their countries at the highest level. Here are three such famous pairs on the cricket field who went on to play for the country after being childhood friends:

1. Mayank Agarwal & KL Rahul

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal started their cricketing journeys together, playing age-group cricket in Karnataka. The duo gradually rose through the ranks to become the finest talents from their state and became an integral part of their domestic team. Later, the duo even played for India together in both Tests and ODIs.

2. AB de Villiers & Faf du Plessis

AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis began playing together since their under-14 days and challenged each other to become the great cricketers that they’re known to be today. The duo grew up together studying in the same school and went on to become an integral part of the Proteas national team.

The duo took South Africa to great heights with their immense contribution on the field and were also involved in many memorable partnerships together.

3. Joe Root & Ben Stokes

Joe Root and Ben Stokes are another such pair that share their cricketing bond right from their childhood days. The duo played against each other since under-12 days and were even part of the England team at the 2010 edition of the Under-19 World Cup. The duo went on to make their debuts for the national team and took England to unprecedented heights, most notably winning the World Cup together in 2019.