India bank on spin-factor against in-form England

India and England — two unbeaten teams in this ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup — are all set for an intriguing climax of this Caribbean version of the competition. The four-time champions are the most dominant side so far as Yash Dhull's men have had five straightforward victories going into this mega finale. And for obvious reasons they have already been tagged as the favourites.

However, under similar circumstances, India were humbled by Bangladesh in the last edition. Hence, this time there will be no complacency factor whatsoever as confirmed by skipper Dhull in his pre-match presser.

"It will be a good challenge against England. They play attacking cricket and look to dominate the opposition, so are we..."

This will be India's first outing at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium. In hindsight, England are quite familiar with this venue having seen off both South Africa and Afghanistan there in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. This batting-friendly wicket here also suits their positive gameplay, which they have emulated from Eoin Morgan's senior team. 

But this time Jacob Bethell & Co. will have to counter the Indian spinners. "We know they will attack us with spin," said England skipper Tom Prest in the presser. "I have experience of playing quality spin in Sri Lanka. So, we will look to sweep and use our feet to get runs against those guys [Indian spinners]."

For India spin is yet again going to be an X-factor, like it has been for them throughout this tournament. Their spin-attack has picked up 26 wickets in five matches at an astounding average of 12.34 in the competition. Especially against the non-subcontinental teams like South Africa and Australia, left-arm orthodox Vicky Ostwal and off-spinner Kaushal Tambe's overs completely bamboozled the opponents in the middle.

Also, there is Nishant Sindhu and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who with their left-arm spin have done more than a decent job in the tournament. Considering England's little bit of vulnerability against slow-bowling, ideally, Dhull would like to bowl around 25 to 30 overs of spin in the match.

"Our approach against them will be to bowl as many dot balls as possible," this is what the Indian skipper had to say when he was asked about a counter-plan against England attacking batters. And to bowl these dot balls, the slow-bowlers will be his best bet.  

Talking about spin, England too have Rehan Ahmed, who is an attacking leg-spinner and has turned out to be a match-winner for them in the semi-final against Afghanistan. For Prest, along with Joshua Boyden's left-arm seam, Reham is also a prime wicket-taking option. And the skipper doesn't shy away giving him the ball in the end overs as well.

In the batting department, both teams are equally matched with quality and depth.  Following their exploits against Australia, the Indians will once again look towards captain Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed to come good. 

Also, this will be the one last chance for Harnoor Singh to showcase his talent on this platform and impress the scouts ahead of the upcoming IPL auction. Harnoor, the 'Player of the Tournament' in the last Youth Asia Cup came into this World Cup with a lot of expectations but so far averages 24 in five matches. Nevertheless, the Final will be an ideal platform for him to get back in the form.

Meanwhile, England rely on George Thomas and Bethell's attacking approach at the top and the elegance of Prest, Geroge Bell and William Luxton in the middle.

For them, it has been 24 years since their maiden appearance in the Under-19 World Cup final. Hence, these English boys will go all-out to imitate the squad of 1998. Being the underdogs, also help them to play their game freely. Whereas for India, who are chasing their fifth title, it is all about not allowing the occasion to get the better of them and execute their gameplans as they have done so far.

And as a captain, Dhull is very much aware of this. “The team morale is high. We are excited to play the final. It’s the final but it is still just a game. So, we will play with the positive mindset, stick to the basics and we will look to execute our plans."