HIGHLIGHTS:
- India clinch the U19 World Cup trophy for a record fifth time.
- India defeated England by four wickets to win the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup.
- The boys celebrate with the trophy in Antigua.
What is in the News?
India has won the Under-19 World Cup five times, but their most recent success, in the West Indies, is particularly significant and gives Indian cricket lots of hope at a time when the senior squad is through a change.
Despite the fact that there has been no age-group cricket in India during the past two seasons because to Covid-19, the India under-19 team has gone on a nine-game unbeaten streak, winning two tournaments in a row. “The youngsters had accomplished something truly remarkable. Hats off to them for winning two major competitions in less than a month: the Under-19 Asia Cup (in the UAE) and then the World Cup. It’s a huge accomplishment, especially considering we only had two to three months to prepare “Sridharan Sharath, India’s Under-19 selector.
In search of 11 fit players
The way this group overcame a Covid outbreak-19 players were infected at one time during the league stage, leaving India to scramble to find 11 fit players for games against Ireland and Uganda – is an incredible story in itself. Sharath credited batting icon VVS Laxman, who was in the Caribbean as the National Cricket Academy’s head, and the team’s coaches – head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, both former India players – for keeping the youngsters motivated throughout this difficult period.
What did Sridharan Sharath said ?
“VVS Laxman deserves credit for this. His presence was incredible in itself. It gave the guys a great deal of self-assurance. There is no substitute for such an experience. Coaches and team management deserve a lot of praise as well. Everyone did an excellent job collectively “Sharath summed it up nicely. The team appeared powerful in all aspects of the game, which was a heartening feature of India’s performance.
Who scored how much?
Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaik Rasheed lead the batting attack. Rasheed smashed half-centuries in the semis and final, while Dhull slammed a magnificent 82 in the opener and then 110 in the semis against Australia. Nishant Sindhu, who kept his cool under pressure, led India to victory in the final with a brilliant, unbeaten half-century.
Sindhu led the team effectively to keep the momentum going while Dhull was sick. In the group stages, openers Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harnoor Singh were consistent, albeit they struggled in the final two games.
The boys exhibited a level of maturity that seemed to be above their years. They took a calm and steady approach to chasing 190 in the final, but they didn’t appear to be in any fearful of missing the match. Rasheed’s 50 came after 84 balls, while Sindhu and Bawa didn’t appear rushed in their combination, which helped India get through a tense spell. Finally, ‘keeper-bat Dinesh Bana, conjuring memories of
MS Dhoni’s memorable six over long-on that helped India win the 2011 ODI World Cup, brought the game to a close in a same manner.
Calling the shots!
In the bowling department, it was the spinners who were calling the shots until the final. Vicky Ostwal, the left-arm spinner who led the assault with 12 wickets in the tournament, including match-winning hauls of 5-28 against South Africa in the opener and 3-42 against Australia in the semis, was India’s leading wicket-taker. However, the fast bowling pair of Raj Bawa (5-31) and Ravi Kumar (434) crushed
England in the final.
The talent pool appears to be bursting at the seams. “I want these boys to make their state teams and do well in the Ranji Trophy more than the IPL. They’ll have a chance to play at a higher level if they play two or three years of good first-class cricket “Sharath had a feeling.
Bana had earlier smashed a 4-ball 20 in the semi-finals against Australia, helping India reach 108 in the final ten overs. The boy appears to be a gifted performer. “He was Haryana’s second wicketkeeper. However, for the U-19 Challenger Trophy, we requested him to fetch his ‘keeping pads and gloves.’ He bowled effectively, and few people are aware that he once hit 170 from 98 deliveries in a game
“Sharath revealed. That innings featured 14 sixes and ten fours, with 124 runs coming in the form of boundaries. “He’s an excellent batsman. It’s only that he only had a few deliveries to demonstrate his abilities “Sharath stated.
