OPINION
Follow UsThere has never better a more apt description of the sojourn of a U-19 cricketer than that the 2020 Youth World Cup’s official catchphrase - “The Greatness begins here”. From the likes of Virat Kohli to Kane Williamson, from Steven Smith to Shikhar Dhawan - the tournament has been the launchpad for many future stars the world has seen. It is where dreams are born and the hopes of a brighter future take off.
In contrast, as life moves on, many dreams eventually get a crude reality check. Remember Unmukt Chand, the Virat Kohli prototype who demolished Australian colts, led by William Bosisto, for India’s third Youth World Cup win? It is a stage that has been cruel to many and Chand is the prime example.
However, as the new edition is set to take place in the far reach of the Caribbean, there is every bit of importance to the event preceding it. The ACC U-19 Asia Cup came as a breath of fresh air, navigating through the conundrum. Even though the tournament is not being televised, Indian players have started showing their mettle to keep themselves in fresh nuts for the mega event next month.
Journey so far
Placed in Group A alongside Pakistan U19, Afghanistan U19, and United Arab Emirates U19, India lost only one game to the archrivals but didn’t have to break any sweat against Afghanistan and hosts UAE. As a result, India and Pakistan have qualified for the semi-finals with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reaching the last four from Group B.
After having all three matches in Dubai, India will move to Sharjah for the semi-final encounter against Bangladesh while Pakistan will play Sri Lanka at the ICC Academy Ground, Dubai. Needless to say, an India-Pakistan encounter seems more than likely to take place.
Who impressed the most?
Indian batters, barring Punjab’s Harnoor Singh, haven't been able to live upto the expectations. Harnoor slammed a 120 against UAE before scoring a fighting 46 and another 65 against the Afghan boys. With skipper Yash Dhull’s bat remaining silent after a half-century against the hosts, Hanoor’s performance has been a saviour of sorts for the Indian side. Harnoor’s success is not surprising either, for he was the highest run-scorer in the Challengers Trophy where he amassed 412 runs with three back-to-back 100s.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar has spoken glowingly about Dhull who had scored 302 runs at an average of 75.50 in the 2021-22 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. India would want some big runs from their skipper to steer clear of defending World Cup champions Bangladesh U19 in the semi-final of the ACC event.
Among the bowlers, only Chandigarh’s Raj Bawa and Maharashtra’s Rajvardhan Hangargekar have found themselves among the top-10 bowlers, with five wickets each to their name. But no single dominance of any Indian bowlers is perhaps an indication of the fact that they have haunted as a pack. In the Pakistan encounter that India lost on the last ball, Bawa was superb, to say the least, and his economical bowling had almost pinned the Pak colts to the mat. With the Windies surface presenting a slow look in the last few years, one wouldn’t really mind the duo of Bawa and Hangargekar to build pressure from both ends.
Challenges for India in the semis
Bangladesh No.3 Prantik Nawrose Nabil is the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 177 runs at an average of 97.79. His onslaught against Nepal U19 pushed the “Land of Solitary Meditation and Penance” to the brink of annihilation. Nabil has played 9 List A games where he has excelled and brings that experience to dominate the opposition. To compliment him, Bangladesh have Mahfijul Islam, whose century in the game against Kuwait Under-19s spoke volumes about the side’s potential in the long run.
Something to keep in the mind
India have done well to navigate through the challenges of UAE and Afghanistan but from the evidence of the Pakistan encounter, it was clear that the four-time champions need more than just talent to surge ahead. The Covid-19 pandemic, unfortunately, had a big say in the team’s preparation, hence the current side got not a lot of preparatory series nowhere to what the previous generation of youth teams had. The 2020 season cancellation further reduced the impact of the selections to a very basic premise of Vinoo Mankad Trophy and the Challenger Trophy.
Hence, it would be understandable for the sides to have their precedence set on and take the mighty challenge of the World Cup. But as once Rahul Dravid said, “Winning the World Cup is not the end, it is the beginning.” And hence, let the greatness begins here. We will have our eyeballs fixed.
