India’s U-19 World Cup win

INDIA’S triumph in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, with a four-wicket win over England in the final on Saturday, is special on two counts: It extended India’s record for most U-19 World Cup titles to five, and it came after a Covid-19 outbreak in the camp due to which they could barely field 11 fit players in two matches. Though England set them a modest target in the final, the manner in which India’s youngsters handled the pressure was remarkable, with two batsmen scoring half-centuries. It brought to an end a strong campaign in which India won all their matches in a dominant fashion — the closest margin of victory when batting first was 45 runs, and four wickets when chasing.

Yash Dhull, the captain, has joined the likes of Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw on the list of boys who have led India to the U-19 title. Four of the past captains went on to play for the senior team, and Dhull and many of his teammates have shown that they too have the potential to do so. The batting was rock-solid and the bowling — pace and spin, both — troubled the opponents right through the tournament. The depth in the team is evident from the fact that only one player — opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi — figured among the tournament’s top run-scorers and wicket-takers. Despite this, the team was utterly dominant.

Some performances stood out: Dhull, who was one of the six players who tested positive for Covid, made a thrilling 100 against Australia in the semifinal, while Raj Angad Bawa picked up five wickets and scored 35 runs in the final to be named the Man of the Match. Nishant Sindhu and Shaik Rasheed, who too had tested positive, scored 50s in the final. A final word of caution, however: As National Cricket Academy director VVS Laxman, who was with the team in the West Indies, said, it’s just ‘the start of their journey as cricketers’. The Indian cricket board has done well in training and grooming them, and it now must guide them to a higher level.

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