Shubman Gill on the left and Pritvhi Shaw on the right. (ICC photo)
With India just two wins away from landing the U-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe, it’s apt to rewind to this day eight years ago when the outfit led by Prithvi Shaw brought home the crown from New Zealand, thrashing Australia in a one-sided final at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.
It was the fourth of the five titles India has clinched in this competition, making them the most successful country at the age-group level. The tournament brought several players into the limelight, some going on to bigger achievements while others shone only sporadically. That Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the Indian side made this an even more exciting phase in Indian cricket.
It was current India captain Shubman Gill who was the Player of the Tournament with 372 runs. His Punjab statemate Abhishek Sharma, arguably the biggest batting star going into the upcoming T20 World Cup, was also part of the side. Another Punjab youngster, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was also part of the squad but didn’t play the final.
Shaw was fast-tracked into the Indian Test squad and announced his arrival with a century on debut, but fickle form, fitness and off-field issues ensured he fell away.
Pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi have been fighting injuries, while the likes of Riyan Parag and Anukul Roy have performed only sporadically. Manjot Kalra, who hit a hundred in the final, is not heard of much these days.
The Australian team was led by Jason Sangha and though a few members of that side have played a few games for the senior side, no one has yet made a serious breakthrough.
It was the second time India outclassed Australia in the tournament. Both teams were in the same group and Shaw’s team came out on top by 100 runs, with the skipper scoring 94.
In fact, such was India’s dominance in the competition that it was India’s narrowest win in terms of runs in the competition. In the quarterfinal, Bangladesh were defeated by 131 runs with Gill hitting 86 and Nagarkoti taking 3/18.
The semifinal against Pakistan was a no-contest. Gill scored an unbeaten 102 off 94 balls as India finished with 272/9 in 50 overs. Ishan Porel’s 4/17 and an all-round bowling display dismissed the opponents for a mere 69 in less than 30 overs.
Batting second, the two wickets lost in the final were the only ones chasing in the tournament. India overhauled the paltry scores put by Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea with no sweat as Shaw and Gill made merry.
This was the 12th edition of the U-19 World Cup. After Bangladesh defeated India in an ill-tempered final in 2020 in South Africa, Yash Dhull led the country to a fifth title in the West Indies, beating England in the final.
India made the final two years ago in South Africa also, but came second-best to Australia in the final at Benoni.
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