Pace trio make early impression

And with conditions expected to favour them over the next couple of weeks,the youngsters are hoping to bust a few myths about India and their strength lying in spin.

With a chill in the air and grass on the pitch,the trio overwhelmed Afghanistan by striking five early blows from which the minnows couldnt recover. From 38/5,they went to 118 all out and India reached the target in 25.2 overs to record an eight-wicket win.

Though it was one-drop batsman Mandeep Singh who got the Man of the Match award for his unbeaten 51,all talk at the Lincoln University campus revolved around the multi-dimensional pace attack.

Left-armer Netravalkar consistently hit the deck with an unwavering focus on the top of off-stump. His new ball partner,right-armer Sharma,used the conditions perfectly to swing the ball both in the air and off the pitch. As for Unadkat,another southpaw,it was all about raw pace and seam movement. Add to that the all-rounder Harpreet Singh,who endlessly beat the bat by moving the ball both ways,its easy to predict that pace will figure prominently on the teams calling card here.

Different backgrounds

These next-generation pacemen as an interesting bunch with varied backgrounds. Mumbais Netravalkar made the trek from Malad to Churchgate,accompanied by his parents since he was 13 so he could follow his passion,and has just completed his first semester at the Sardar Patel Institute of Technology where he is pursuing a BE degree.

Patiala boy Sharma is a farmers son and says his father was always too busy in the fields to take an interest in his sons game. As Netravalkar talks about his academic background,Sharma sensing that the question would be put to him as well chips in,Iss field mein yeh mere se bahut aage hai. In this field he is way ahead of me.

The two have played together since they were 15 and have become close friends. Both of us were at the NCA and have spent several months together. We have different temperaments but we gel well. I see myself as the funny guy while he is a man of few words, Sharma says.

Unadkat is the new addition to this bunch. From the Duleep Sinh School in Porbandar,he is a natural-born paceman. Kids mostly ask for a bat when they start playing cricket,but for me it was always about bowling. The sight of a paceman running in fast and knocking down the stumps gives me the ultimate thrill, Unadkat says.

Coach Chandrakant Pandit says picking the right combination of pacemen in the XI remains his biggest challenge,pointing out that the equally talented Harshal Patel had to warm the bench for the opening match. He is an impact bowler who invariably gives us the breakthrough when he has played. So is there a chance that India might actually play four pacemen in tandem? I am open to the idea if the combination is right, says the coach.

That would certainly put India well on truly on the speedway.

scoreboard

Afghanistan U-19: J Ahmadi run out 19,Z Zaki

c Mandeep b Sandeep 1,S Shirzai c Harpreet b

Netravalkar 4,N ul-Haq c Jathar b Manan 61,H Shaidi c Harpreet b Netravalkar 0,M Ali c Shaikh b Unadkat 2,A Khan st Shaikh b Jathar 12,A Aminzai c Sandeep b Manan 6,A Alam c Shaikh b Jathar 0,I Dawlatzai c Menaria b Unadkat 4,Y Ahmadzai not out 3; Extras 6; Total all out,49.2 overs 118

FOW: 1-12,2-22,3-31,4-31,5-38,6-82,7-97,

8-99,9-113

Bowling: Sandeep 10-4-13-1,Netravalkar 10-4-23-2,Harpreet 9-0-17-0,Unadkat 6.2-1-17-2,Jathar 10-2-28-2,Manan 4-0-18-2

India U-19: R Kannaur c J Ahmadi b Shirzai 35,M Agarwal c Zaki b Alam 10,Mandeep n.o. 51,A Menaria n.o. 15; Extras 11; Total 2 wickets; 25.2 overs 122

FOW: 1-22,2-80

Bowling Alam 7-0-24-1,Ahmadzai 6-0-27-0,Shirzai 4-0-29-1,Dawlatzai 5-0-20-0,Zaki 0.4-0-7-0,Aminzai 1.4-0-11-0,Ahmadi 1-0-1-0