You can’t judge these players based on a bad day, says Paras Mhambrey

India entered the U-19 World Cup final after beating top sides like Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, only to falter at the final hurdle. Bangladesh restricted India to 177 but were tottering at 106 for six before skipper Akbar Ali took them home to their maiden Under-19 World Cup title. Despite the disappointment, Mhambrey welcomed a dejected Under-19 team with a smile and sought to boost their morale.

"As a coach, you need to appreciate and see the positives of the team. These are kids and it's a time when, as a coach, I should shape them for their future. After the match, I encouraged and said 'chin up guys, you are the best. You have given your best.' For me, the results are not something you can control. I told the boys, just leave whatever happened on the field and move ahead. You can't judge yourself on a bad day. One team had to win and the other had to lose. So learn, accept and move on. This is all we spoke about," Mhambrey told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

India were chasing a record fifth U-19 title, this time under the leadership of Priyam Garg. Many cricketers from all four of the successful teams went on to represent the Indian senior team, including the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Venugopal Rao, Shubman Gill, and Prithvi Shaw. While Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravi Bishnoi are obvious names from the current crop, Mhambrey believes each one of his players has the potential to go the journey.

"Honestly, it's very unfair to say one person is a star. These guys have the potential and have the skills. I think the challenge for them is obviously first-class cricket. Everyone from this lot will not represent the country, but there are a couple of guys who have the potential to go to that level. I am sure you will see some of the names from this team represent the senior team in a couple of years," he said.

Much has been made of the players from both teams clashing on the field after the final moments of the game. As a result, the ICC had sanctioned five players — Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, and Rakibul Hasan from Bangladesh, and Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi of India.

"That is something we should not focus on now. Whatever has happened, it wasn't good. It wasn't good behaviour at all. But they are kids, they will learn this part too. It was a big learning and lesson for them. I am sure and confident that you will never get to hear such things from this lot again," Mhambrey added.