Ahead of the U-19 World Cup final in the Caribbean on Saturday, India’s U-19 players can pick and choose their moments for inspiration. Four years ago, many of them were in their early teens when they saw the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill light up the stage in New Zealand on the way to the title. They can go further back to the title-winning teams of 2008 and 2012, reflecting on a time when they were just picking up a bat and ball and beginning to kindle a love affair with the sport.
On Thursday evening, they even spoke to Virat Kohli—who led the team to the title in 2008—on a video call for insights on what it is like to play a U-19 World Cup final. And while none of the current players were even born when India won their inaugural title in 2000, they can also draw from the experiences of Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and others if they so wish. Their opponents in the final, England, don’t enjoy the same luxury. England captain Tom Prest, for instance, was born five years after they won their first and only title in 1998. Back then, the U-19 World Cup had just returned after a 10-year hiatus and was far from acquiring the significance it does today.
Owais Shah was the skipper of that England side while some of the other prominent names included Graeme Swann and Robert Key. “We were a bunch of 18/19-year-olds, the pound was very strong, the beer was cheap and it was a very fun trip. There weren’t many sensible heads,” Swann recalled in a chat with The Guardian a couple of years ago. But beyond that experience, it’s been a barren run for the Englishmen at the marquee junior event. When asked about England ending their 24-year wait with their entry to the final, skipper Prest’s response was telling: “I can’t really believe it.”
{{/usCountry}}Owais Shah was the skipper of that England side while some of the other prominent names included Graeme Swann and Robert Key. “We were a bunch of 18/19-year-olds, the pound was very strong, the beer was cheap and it was a very fun trip. There weren’t many sensible heads,” Swann recalled in a chat with The Guardian a couple of years ago. But beyond that experience, it’s been a barren run for the Englishmen at the marquee junior event. When asked about England ending their 24-year wait with their entry to the final, skipper Prest’s response was telling: “I can’t really believe it.”
{{/usCountry}}Events in the past shouldn’t have a bearing on the outcome of Saturday’s final though. Prest is the third leading run-getter with 292 runs at an average of 73 while left-arm seamer Joshua Boyden’s 13 wickets place him among the top five wicket-takers. Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed is not far behind with 12 wickets in just three games. Their batting approach has noticeable similarities with the senior England team’s brand of white-ball cricket, reflected in almost all of their top-seven returning strike-rates of over 100. In a chase of 210 against South Africa in the quarter-finals, left-handed opener Jacob Bethell consumed just 42 balls to smash an unbeaten 88, taking his side over the line with 18.4 overs to spare.
Their aggression isn’t exactly unexpected given the heavy dose of T20 cricket and growing up watching the likes of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes on television. The Indians have their own way of going about things. During the semi-final against Australia, for instance, skipper Yash Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed began cautiously before changing gears in accordance with the game situation. There were 10 fours and a six in Dhull’s run-a-ball 110, but it was his running between the wickets and ability to manoeuvre the ball into vacant spaces that were most impressive. It highlighted a facet that his coach, Rajesh Nagar, had mentioned even before the tournament. “Yash is a very busy player. He is always thinking about making runs. He runs very hard and makes his batting partner run equally hard. That’s what he did again. It was his best innings in this World Cup, but he has played better knocks before,” Nagar said on Friday.
Rasheed’s 94 was no less impressive. Hailing from the town of Guntur in Andhra, the 17-year-old has had his share of struggles in reaching this far. He is now making his batting, which exudes a touch of class, tower over all those hassles. There are others too who have stepped up at different stages of this three-week-long event. If Dhull and his teammates deliver on Saturday, they will become one of many Indian teams for future U-19 players to take inspiration from. For England, it’s about atoning for recent disappointments and adding to the solitary title won in 1998.