Graduation day

But the Class of 2012s triumph in Townsville,Australia,has shattered several myths about the poor travellers of the past. What had looked like another forgettable trip they succumbed to the West Indies pacers in their opening game turned out to be pleasantly different. The final saw batsmen like skipper Unmukt Chand,Baba Aparajith and Smit Patel bat like they were in their backyard,while pacers Sandeep Sharma and Ravikant Singh showed that swing can be as deadly as speed on lively tracks. Left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh showed that with flight,loop and guile for company,one can be at home anywhere in the world.

The coming-of-age show acknowledges the winds of change in Indian cricket. BCCI-organised study tours abroad and frequent competitive games against tough rivals at home mean the juniors arent overwhelmed overseas. Chand amp; Co didnt let their shoulders droop when they were all out for 166 in the first game or when it was 97/4 in the final. Teams of the past have flinched,but not this feisty bunch. They saw to it that August 26,2012 was Indias Graduation Day in the little league.