India colts high on style and confidence

Dressed in their India blazers, the under-19 cricket team is polished and groomed for their media unveiling. Though new to attention, they smile for the pictures.

Dressed in their India blazers, the under-19 cricket team is polished and groomed for their media unveiling. Though new to attention, they smile for the pictures. After all, at 19 and under, even though carrying the tag of defending champions, they only have everything to gain.

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The attitude of these youngsters, grouped together at the new Mumbai Cricket Association premises in Bandra, Mumbai on Saturday morning, winks at you in the form of a ear stud or the fashionably spiked, gelled hair. They are still a bunch of teenagers embarking on another adventure, which happens to be called the youth World Cup.

“There is no question of pressure,” says captain Ashok Meenaria. “We only carry a lot of confidence into the tournament.”

Meenaria, who hails from a family of priests in Udaipur, will lead the upbeat bunch to a tri-series in South Africa before the team proceeds to New Zealand for the World Cup.

“You don't need to do a lot with this bunch,” says the captain, never short of a smart word. “This is an experienced bunch; they can look after themselves.”

The left-arm spinner, it seems, was born to be a leader. He was named the vice-captain of the team in the first under-15 match he played and immediately promoted to the helm. At his disposal is a team full of talent, and Meenaria is prompt to point that that's all a champion side takes. “No matter how aggressive the captain is, when the players are good it doesn't take time in becoming a champion side. I am sure our experience will count a lot at the World Cup. We play a lot of competitive cricket at the junior level as compared to the other countries.”

The batting mainstays of his team, Mayank Agarwal and Mandeep Singh, also echo their captain's upbeat mood. Only they are a little tempered by the expectation brought on with the hype.

Coach Chandrakant Pandit, known for being a disciplinarian, lets his boys enjoy their day out in the sun. He has put them through the hard yards and doesn't have much to complain about, except maybe the stylish hairdos.

“They are all fashionable,” he smiles on, “I will have to start cutting their hair if they don't do well.”