While the nation raves about the Indian colts creating history in New Zealand by lifting the u19 World Cup, there’s very few that would argue that this is a golden generation of cricketers coming through and well go on to create history in the Senior format as well. Led by skipper Prithvi Shaw from Mumbai, India defeated Australia in the Finals and arch rivals Paskistan in the Semis to clinch the World Cup for the 4th time.
What a win for the U19 boys, take it as a stepping stone; Long long way to go! Enjoy the moment! 😊👏 @BCCI #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/D8mGdakxZu
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) February 3, 2018
We take a look at the 3 factors that really played into the Indians’ hands in this World Cup :
Appointment of Dravid as Coach
The appointment of the “Wall” and former India skipper Rahul Dravid meant that not only was the youth of Indian cricket in good hands, but also assured that it got a flaavour of learning to play under pressure and temperament as well. Dravid is one of the Fab Four India produced and the youngsters have a lot to take away from the veteran. The longer Dravid stays in charge of the U19 team, the better results are going to get for the colts.
Inspirational leadership from captain Prithvi Shaw
The U19 World Cup is a platform where stars are made. Be it Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli or Mohammed Kaif, skippers and players alike have played a major role in this competition. Prithvi Shaw from Mumbai led the colts calmly and reasssuring presence throughout the tournament. Having not been really successful with the bat, Prithvi translated his form into his captaincy with nice rotation of the bowlers, field placements and reading of the game.
Red-hot form of Subhman Gill
It is very rare that a player of this age stands out so much in a World level tournament such as the U19 World Cup. Gill, hailing from Punjab took the World Cup by fire and scored runs at an average of 100 plus. In the process, he became the first batsman to score over 1000+ runs with an average of 100+. No doubt, he’s a hot property in this year’s IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders having lapped him up for a hefty sum.
Cover Image Credits : Twitter