U-19 World Cup 2022 | Got confidence from the interaction with Virat Kohli, says Yash Dhull ahead of final against England
Yash Dhull stated that the interaction with Virat Kohli boosted the confidence of the players
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Ahead of the U-19 World Cup 2022 summit clash against England on Saturday, India U19 skipper Yash Dhull has stated that the interaction with Virat Kohli boosted the confidence of his team. He further added that the team's morale is high and the squad will enter the contest with a positive mindset.
India will lock horns with England in the U19 World Cup 2022 final on Saturday, February 5 in Antigua. The Indian team have previously won the U19 World Cup title four times, and the national side will be playing their ninth final in the ICC mega event. The Yash Dhull-led side have displayed brilliant performance throughout the tournament, and will be looking forward to clinching India's fifth U19 World Cup title.
Ahead of the summit clash against England on Saturday, former India senior men's captain, Virat Kohli had an interaction with Dhull and his teammates. Kohli, who captained the India U19 team, when they clinched the title in 2008, shared his experiences with the young squad of the national side. The 33-year-old also encouraged the India U19 team for playing good cricket in the final against England.
Meanwhile, Dhull has stated that the interaction with Kohli ahead of the final lifted the team's morale and boosted the confidence of the players.
"Virat Kohli gave us his best wishes for the final. We got confidence from that, the morale increases when a senior player like him talks to you. He told us how we can execute our plans and he told us about the basics of the game, it was a nice interaction with him," Dhull told ANI.
In the semi-final clash against Australia, Dhull notched up a brilliant century for his side, and became the third Indian after Kohli and Unmukht Chand to score a hundred in the U19 World Cup. Dhull reckoned that his team will enter the contest with a positive frame of mind. The India U19 captain further added that the squad have learned to deal with pressure, and the team will give its best in the final.
"The morale is high, everyone is excited about the game. We will enter the contest with a positive frame of mind. England played a close match against Afghanistan, we will make our own game plans. We will look to carry our form into the final. Our spinners are nice, we will look to execute our plans," said Dhull.
"Everyone is ready to give their 100 per cent, we will enter the final with a positive mindset. We are here to represent the country. We have gotten more experienced, we now know the value of time and how to prepare mentally for big games. Our game has also improved, we have learnt how to deal with pressure," he added.
During the initial stage of the tournament, Dhull and a few of his teammates were tested positive for Covid-19, and missed the group fixtures against Uganda and Ireland. Dhull stated that it was a tough time, and their mental strength helped them to play well in the following matches.
"It was a tough time, we were mentally strong then and we knew that we will give our 100 per cent when we go back to the field. England plays a dominating brand of cricket and they do not leave attacking cricket even if they lose wickets. We will look to follow our plans and bowl as many dot balls as possible," said Dhull.
"We will see the wicket and we will make our game plan accordingly. We will take the final as just another game. It is a game, we will give our 100 per cent and we are confident that the result will go our way," he added.
