My U-19 Memories | “Whatmore’s visualisation programme brought tears to my eyes” - Ajitesh Argal goes down memory lane

My U-19 Memories | “Whatmore’s visualisation programme brought tears to my eyes” - Ajitesh Argal goes down memory lane

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Mumbai Cricket Association

Cricket is a great leveller. It can build you up and break you down. It can make you a star overnight and can put you off the pedestal like you never belonged. At times, cricket is a story of a path less travelled, yet much-talked-about, much-hyped on the way to stardom.

As the U-19 World Cup got underway in South Africa, my eyes suddenly got stuck, unable to believe what I was seeing. Nayeem Young, a confident teenager from Barbados, made England colts his prey one after another. His was a peak celebration, much like his teammate Matthew Forde, as Windies went on to decimate England fair and square. It is easy to go by the euphoria but I become a devil's advocate when I see a young boy parading his way to stardom. For example here, we have no concrete idea of what Young goes on to achieve in his career. However, if the sport is meant for pure joy, then I would take this Barbados kid enjoying and celebrating like there is no tomorrow.

For Ajitesh Argal, India’s unlikely hero in the U-19 World Cup final of 2008, it has still been the most cherished memory as a cricketer. The Bhopal boy, who turned his allegiance to Baroda after his U-14 days, wasn't part of India's U-19 plans until they returned from a tour of South Africa. However, when the team realised they lacked proper firepower in the pace-bowling department, Argal was drafted in alongside Punjab's Siddharth Kaul.

It was a decision that changed the course as the duo became the fulcrum to India’s success in the World Cup, with Argal being adjudged as the man of the match in the Kuala Lumpur final against Wayne Parnell-led South Africa, that had many future Saffers stars like Pieter Malan, JJ Smuts, Rilee Rossouw, Reeza Hendricks, and Parnell himself.

“One of the best memories which I will always cherish,” Argal reminisced while talking to SportsCafe. “It is a privilege to represent your country at any level and winning a world cup for your country and being able to contribute in the final is like a cherry on top of the cake so that obviously remains very close to my heart. It was a very low total and that was the only match when our batsmen didn’t click. We had a strong batting side with the likes of Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, Taruwar Kohli, Sreevats Goswami, etc.”

While most of India’s World Cup victories in any level of cricket has been convincing, this World Cup victory, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, had a touch of 1983 feel to it. Defending 183 in a low-scoring total against the mighty West Indies, Kapil’s devils conquered it with elan on the back of Mohinder Amarnath and Madal Lal’s impressive bowling display. In the rain-curtailed encounter in Kuala Lumpur, Argal and co had an uphill task at hand but boy, didn’t they put up a show of grit and hunger.

"The only time I remembered batting was in the nets. So the final was that one day when we got a chance to bat, but obviously we didn’t click and we had a task to defend that low-scoring total. Virat always trusted the bowlers with the field they wanted and we gelled very nicely because we used to be in different national camps and we knew each other from our U-15 days."

"The most important thing was the self-belief. We believed that even if the target was 90 or 100 instead of 159, we were sure of defending it because we had beaten South Africa even on the tour before the U19 World Cup. The plan was just to stick to the basics and no loose balls. We never went for wickets and we just decided that we will stick to our bowling areas and I am glad that it worked out in the end. My strength had always been bowling tight lines and length and eventually, that helped me,” Argal explained.

Argal returned with two important wickets - of Pieter Malan and Rilee Rossouw - while conceding only seven runs in the process. He was close to unplayable that day - something that he attributes to his bowling partner and a great friend, Siddarth Kaul. The duo go back to years when Baroda played Punjab in the 2006 Cooch Behar Trophy final. Not only did Argal help his side to the title, but also impressed the selectors present in the ground to pick him in the squad for the India U-19’s South Africa tour. 

“Siddharth and I shared a strong bond. So when Baroda was playing Punjab in the Cooch Behar Trophy final, I was expecting to get selected for the U19 tour of South Africa. But my coach said the focus on trying and getting your state team to win the final and obviously the players who were selected for the South Africa tour was doing well."

"But the good part was that we won the Cooch Behar Trophy and I picked 34-35 wickets in six matches and the selectors came to watch that final and Baroda defeated Punjab. When selectors came and saw me physically, they might have liked my bowling and thus decided to draft me and Siddharth in the team.”

Coming to the World Cup as the second-seed, behind Pakistan, India peaked at the right time to crush opposition at will. Realising the complacency factor might creep in, India’s coach Dav Whatmore made them do something entirely different on the eve of the final. Bringing them together to the meeting room, Whatmore asked them to do a visualisation exercise, bringing mostly the losing situations to the fore and the consequences it would generate. As Argal mentioned, it brought tears to their eyes and made the entire team determined more than ever to go for the kill.

“He (Whatmore) made us close our eyes and imagine a scenario where India has lost the World Cup final against South Africa. He made us imagine the way the game was so close and India could have become World Champions but could not be. He also made us imagine the way the media would handle it, the way our parents would handle it, the silence in the team bus, etc.

"Most of the guys were in tears and I still got goosebumps when I tell this to you. But then he said to open his eyes and said that it was 1st March and 5:30 pm and the game was still in our hands. This was something that motivated all of us to do better and maybe we needed that fear of losing in order to win,” Argal explained.

When the time for the run defence came, the onus was on the troika of Pradeep Sangwan, Kaul and Argal himself. Rain minimized the impact of Ravindra Jadeja and Iqbal Abdullah, and pacers had to do the tough job. But like a kid jumping the gun in the first opportunity of having a hot chocolate lava cake, Argal was excited and ready to hog the limelight.

“We were all excited to defend the low total. There was pressure but I believe I had the ability to handle the pressure. It was the time that the bowlers had to win you matches because the batsmen were in fine form before the final. So it was the turn of the bowlers to raise their hand and say that we can win it for the team. And we were so pumped up because what more do you want other than representing your country in a World Cup final. It was a rain-curtailed game and I was not thinking of too much ahead. I was just taking one ball at a time and was telling myself that every ball I bowl was a matter of  life and death.”

It was the cruelty of fate that for Argal, who played the last of his 15 first-class matches in 2015, the U-19 victory remained the hinge point of his career. But Argal leaves no stone unturned to keep up the fight for the love of the game. Determined to make a comeback, he still goes to practice every day.

“Cricket is all about uncertainty and you need to keep on bowling well and you never know what will happen. I have still not given up and I work harder everyday. I would like to thank my family who helped me and supported me to live this dream. So I am grateful for having had an opportunity to pursue my passion as my profession and that is something not many parents back then supported. Everyone wants to play 100 Tests for India but not everyone makes it."

“What matters is when you look in the mirror you need to be satisfied with the kind of hard work that you put in and you must ask yourself whether you have done justice to the profession. It’s not that I have stopped playing cricket. I am still trying and sometimes it feels a bit harsh that I should have got more chances but I am satisfied with the kind of hard work that I have put in. Let’s see where life takes me in the next couple of years,” Argal concluded in a hopeful tone.

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