U-19 World Cup 2022: Title win amid adversity confirms India have best cricketing talent pool

“Sabke room pe ice cream pohoch gaya hai so sabse pehle wo enjoy karenge. Sabne kafi strict diet maintain kiya hai toh ab ice cream enjoy karenge [The ice cream has reached the rooms of every player, we will have and enjoy ice creams now. We had to maintain a strict diet for this tournament so now we will enjoy some ice cream],” said Yash Dhull, the Under-19 World Cup-winning skipper, at the post-match press conference after India’s four-wicket win over England in the finals on Saturday.

A day ago, social media was flooded with this bizarre tale from the 2000 Under-19 World Cup that was published in the Indian Express. With mobile phones yet to make its wave, an unnamed homesick India Under-19 player at the World Cup would mutter into the stump mic to communicate to his family: “Sab ṭhik hai ithe, rata nu 7 vaje kaal karo (All well here, call at 7 tonight)”.

The gist of these stories is very similar. Amid the earnestness to win a title for your country, the unabating media attention, and the assiduous training regimes, we sometimes forget that these are teenagers thrown from singing the national anthem at a school assembly to singing it with lakhs of viewers placing hopes on them. 

Unlike their predecessors, this batch of India’s Under-19 players had their work cut out for them. With the global pandemic raging, they barely had any serious cricket behind them heading into the tournament. The Vinoo Mankad Trophy, a handful of games in the Challenger Trophy and U19 tri-series, and the Asia Cup U19 tournament right before the World Cup are the only professional games behind this bunch of players.

The background stories are rarely too different — most players take up a career in sport despite the adversities, challenges and risks the stream presents. As though these weren’t enough, this group had a number of COVID-19 positive cases after one game in the tournament. The captain changed, the vice-captain changed, the team dynamics changed. They literally had to scratch the bottom of the barrel to put out 11 players for a couple of games.

It didn’t matter. They steamrolled Ireland and Uganda by 174 and 326 runs, respectively. The bowlers were exceptional, ending the tournament by picking up 10 wickets in each of the six matches. Never once, despite the chaos around the team, did they fall behind in a game. The gulf between them and the rest was visibly evident. But it didn’t happen overnight.

Skipper Yash Dhull’s father gave up a lucrative career in the cosmetic industry to aid his son’s promising, yet highly risky career choice. Nishant Sindhu, who showed remarkable composure under pressure in the final, is the son of a boxer who had to give up his career due to family circumstances. He wanted Nishant to be a boxer too. That didn’t come to fruition, but Nishant was a fighter alright — he took on the captaincy of the side when Dhull and Rasheed were forced into quarantine. In the final, with the side in trouble after a nervy few wickets, he steadied the ship with a fighting half-century.

Dinesh Bana was never the first choice keeper. During the India B vs India F in the Challengers Trophy, his friend Nishant Sindhu told him ‘aaj selectors aane waale hai. Bana replied, “Tu bas six count karna aaj mere.” Bana smashed a 98-ball 170, including 10 fours and 14 sixes.

— Pratyush Raj (@pratyush93_raj) February 5, 2022

Raj Bawa wasn’t allowed to bowl pace for five years by his father who didn’t want him to turn into a tail-ender. Instead, he focused on his batting and it yielded returns in the tournament — he struck the highest score by an Indian in an Under-19 World Cup (162* vs Uganda), and in the final, played a major part in India’s resurrection with the bat in the run chase. This after his five-for turned the tides India’s way in the first innings. 

It wasn’t just the players who underwent hardships and made sacrifices. VVS Laxman, who took over as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief, let go of a commentary deal, accepted a pay cut, and shifted from Hyderabad to Bengaluru to take up this role, which often goes under the radar. When COVID-19 cases hit the team, Laxman turned from coach to a father figure, keeping the team motivated, constantly talking over Zoom to the stricken boys, and gelling in the new guys to the team environment. 

The team barely had three months to prepare for this tournament, and a tough bio-bubble to contend with. Their success, as such, should be attributed as much to the process put in place by India over the last few years in the development of these players, the top-notch selections with little to no point of reference, and the ability of the players themselves to shake off the rust and showcase their true abilities to the world.

Rollercoaster journey continues for Sharath-Kanitkar (selector-coach) combo; from highs of a domestic double (for TN) to disastrous 2018-19 domestic season to success at U-19 World Cup. #U19CWC

— Santhosh Kumar C (@giffy6ty) February 5, 2022

Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the man at the helm of the U19 side, helped them stay on track with short-term goals and meticulous planning. He went about his job quietly even as Laxman, who came in for a brief while on the tour, gained all attention. 

But it’s worth noting the role of current India head coach Rahul Dravid in the development of this strong pipeline of youth talent. He put the process in place with his role as head coach of the U19 side in multiple youth World Cups. Taking over as Head of Cricket at the NCA, Dravid was involved in the training and mentoring of players and went about revamping the fitness and rehabilitation regimes. The supply line was never as hurdle-free as this. The Under-19 team achieved unprecedented success — four successive finals from 2016 to 2022 with two title wins stand as a memoir. 

If anything, this win is a testimony to the process put in place by Dravid and now duly passed onto Laxman, who has seamlessly adapted to the role. It’s not too dissimilar to how these two went about doing the job for India as international batters. 

The assembly line of players from youth cricket has made it a feeder pool for higher honours at the IPL and senior cricket. While most national teams struggle to find that finishing school with the small slip between the lip and the cup swallowing up careers, India have bridged that gap with its durable and supple process. It’s only natural that they go on to dominate world cricket in the coming years.

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