Can India win The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016?
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Team India started the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in style beating the minnows Ireland by 79 runs at Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday. India’s U19 cricket squad looks much more confident and determined now under the meticulous mentorship of the legendary Rahul Dravid.
Historically, India have been the U-19 world champions thrice in the past and this time too they are the favorites again. The expectations of the fans have increased manifold after India’s thumping victory against Ireland in the first match. India’s U19 Captain Ishan Kishan is currently leading the team, and he is fully certain to repeat the feat Unmukt Chand achieved back in 2012, and Virat Kohli before him in 2008.
India’s Top 5 Cricketers to Watch out for at U19 ICC Cricket World Cup
1. Ishan Kishan (Captain): India’s campaign at the U19 Cricket World Cup will largely depend upon this young cricketer. He got the opportunity to lead India’s U19 squad replacing Ricky Bhui during a triangular series in Sri Lanka a few months back. The 27-year-old Jharkhand lad was quite impressive in a Ranji Match last year hitting a spectacular 87-run knock in 69 balls with 8 sixes and 4 boundaries for Jharkhand against Saurashtra demonstrating his ability to hit perfect cricketing shots all across the ground. He is a captain who believes in leading the team from the front.
2. Sarfaraz Khan: One of the most talented under-19 cricketers, Sarfaraz Khan made headlines on scoring 439 runs in the Harris Shield tournament as a 12-year-old boy. And since then, he has never looked back. The Mumbai lad also represented India at the 2014 U-19 Cricket World Cup held in UAE. Sarfaraz Khan is also a regular lower order batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside the big stalwarts including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and others. He is an effective part time off-spinner too.
3. Rishabh Pant (Vice Captain and Wicket Keeper): The Delhi boy, Rishabh Pant, is well known for playing attacking cricket at the top of the order. He averaged around 54 in his recent matches with a hundred and three fifties in eight innings. Pant grabbed the limelight with his mercurial performance at the U-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2015-16 in which the explosive southpaw amassed 360 runs in 4 matches at an average of around 90.
4. Washington Sundar: The Tamil Nadu cricketer is one of the most consistent batsmen of India’s Under-19 squad in recent times. He earned a lot of praises when he steered National Cricket Academy (NCA) to an easy win against Haryana XI a few summers back. Sundar has the unique ability to bat well anywhere in the batting order. He has managed 4 fifties in the 8 innings that he has played over the last few months. He is always ready to take the charge and usually deals in boundaries and sixes.
5. Mayank Dagar: One of India’s best left arm spinners in the making, Mayank is extremely talented and gets going when the going gets tough. This Himachali youngster played a key role in India’s victory at the recently concluded tri-nation series against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. His 3 for 32 in a 9-over spell at the final match helped India win it convincingly after bowling out Bangladesh for just 116 only. Mayank again impressed the selectors with his 7-wicket tally from 3 matches in Colombo last month.
Under-19 Cricket World Cup: A Ticket to National Team
Undoubtedly, the Under-19 Cricket World Cup has continued to remain an integral part of any budding cricketer’s life. The trophy was initiated in the year 1988 and has helped nurturing many young cricketers since then. Much before the evolution of T-20 club cricket outings such as the IPL, Big Bash, Ram Slam and others, it provided a ready platform for the aspiring cricketers to showcase their talents.
Some of the famous cricketers who seamlessly shifted into their national cricket teams from U-19 squads are Hashim Amla (South Africa), Joe Root (England) and Steve Smith (Australia). In India's case, the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson, all found a place in the national team after their excellent performances as Under-19s.
What the Head Coach Rahul Dravid says
'The Wall' is donning the hat of head coach for the nation’s under 19 team this time around. He has been at the job of grooming young talents for the last few months. He seems to be highly satisfied with the way the youngsters have prepared themselves well before the U-19 cricket world cup. “Ours is a decent side with a lot of promising players. The conditions in Bangladesh will be quite similar to what the boys have grown up on in India, so that should be beneficial to the side”, Dravid opined.
Dravid also remarked that it would be most satisfying for him to see a bunch of these young cricketers to go on to represent the national team sometime in the near future. “For me coaching and mentoring at the U-19 level is really helping young people on their journey which I had experienced myself when I was at that age. It gives me a platform to share my experiences, some of the learning I had over 20 years in sport," the ace batsman said.
