TRUE BLUE BLOODS

Indian Colts are no greenhorns. But can they win the U-19 World Cup? Our Correspondent ducks the question, but says the Boys in Blue are good enough to be Men in Blue very soon

FOUR have first class hundreds. One of them got a ton in the Ranji Trophy final this season 8212; the same game in which another finished with a nine-wicket haul. The captain first hit the headlines when he played a match-saving innings on the day his father died. Among the centurions was a long-haired batsman from Jharkhand with a knack of finishing games with sixes. And there8217;s even an Einstein in the team!

Class, character and charisma will be the vital ingredients of the Indian huddle at the Under-19 World Cup this fortnight in Malaysia. Adjectives and anecdotes are most convenient to describe the unheard of juniors since proper nouns like Tanmay Srivastava, Pradeep Sangwan, Virat Kohli, Sourav Tiwary might ring a bell to only those few who follow the future stars on the domestic circuit. In case one has a name like Napoleon Einstein 8212; that8217;s actually what one of the several all-rounders in the squad is called 8212; drawing attention is an everyday affair. But since the other 14 in this 15-member Indian squad don8217;t have such famous names right now, the World Cup can see them ring bells and even make heads turn in the future.

The fact that India8217;s boy band have an opening act 8212; they play Papua New Guinea today 8212; on television just a few hours before the super stars take stage 8212; they play Australia in Adelaide 8212; is a fringe benefit that will help them overcome anonymity.

The chairman of the national junior selection committee and former Test pacer Sanjeev Sharma is quite bullish about the fact that the World Cup will show that Indian cricket8217;s wheels are oiled and there8217;s a bumper-to-boot traffic jam on the assembly line. 8220;The present bunch has been together for the last two years and India have never lost a home or away series in the last three years. I can assure you that there are several players in this squad who will be graduating to the senior level soon,8221; says the man, who was also responsible for picking the World Cup8217;s runner-up squad two years back.

Interestingly, old-hand Sharma has seen two young Sharmas 8212; Ishant and Rohit 8212; effortlessly making a transition to the next level and that8217;s what makes him confident about his eyes to spot talent. 8220;Most of the guys play the elite division. They have extensively toured abroad. These are matured cricketers who can adapt to any situation,8221; says Sharma.

Central Zone selector Kailash Gattani who, for decades had been associated with young cricketers, is of the view that the Ishant success story can be a big motivation for the youngsters. 8220;Till some time back Ishant used to tour with this bunch. Now since they have seen their chum succeed at the next level, they will believe that in case they give results they too can make it to the top,8221; he adds.

They might certainly be future India prospects, but what about the job at hand? Will the boys bring home the Cup? That8217;s a question with a strange eeriness, especially for those who had dealt with a similar query about the senior team last year and burnt their hands. So, instead of taking the tricky path, one opts to concentrate on the strength of the team.

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A distinct feature of this squad of frequent flyer new-age cricketers is their multi-tasking. Frontline batsmen Kohli and Srivastava are also bowlers who usually exhaust their quota of 10 overs. Wicket-keepers Shreevats Goswami and Perry Goyal have successfully opened the innings. The too left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Iqbal Abdulla are all-rounders with creditable batting performances in Elite Ranji Trophy games. It is tough to say if Einstein is a better offie or a middle-order batsman who has double hundreds to his credit. Pacers Sangwan and Siddharth Kaul aren8217;t your regular tailenders, but batsmen with right technique. The hard to please senior World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore, who will be with the junior team in Malaysia, raves about the balance of the side see interview. It8217;s this balance that has seen the team enjoy an all-conquering march in the little leauge. They have won the Test and ODI series in England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka twice and an ODI series in New Zealand once. Not just that, they won the a four-nation tournament in Malaysia earlier this year.

Against this background of solid show, one is tempted to ask the same question: Will the boys bring home the Cup? Both selectors, Sharma and Gattani, are bullish and say that their main cause of concern is the fickle Malaysian weather. 8220;My biggest fear is the rains. I have told the boys to chase in most games,8221; says Sharma.

Repeat the same question to Ravindra Jadeja, the lone member in the present squad who was also a part of the Class of 2006, and he gets thoughtful. 8220;After the final that we lost to Pakistan in 2006, I have stopped making predictions,8221; says vice-captain Jadeja. India chasing a modest 110 for victory fell short by 38 runs after they were reduced to 9/6. But despite the final day heartbreak, India unearthed Rohit Sharma from that tournament. Jadeja, and others at U-19 World Cup, vouch for the fact that this trip to Malaysia can change their lives. One doesn8217;t need to be an Einstein to understand that.