Hopes were high on India’s under19 cricket team led by Pritvi Shah and trained by Coach Rahul Dravid (Former Indian captain) when it left for New Zealand to compete with other top teams for lifting U19 cricket world cup 2018. The young Indian team has taken the challenge seriously and defeated opponents in all the matches to emerge as champion in this limited over’s format. The men in blue defeated Australia, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe to clear the group stage, team effort has played a crucial role in India’s U19 success in the world championship. This success is very important for each and every player in the team.
How did the Journey start?
Dominance in Group matches
Under the leadership of Pritvi Shah, Team India thrashed Australia in their opening match by 100 runs margin. This win boosted the confidence level of players who never looked back until the next six games. Few days after the first victory, the same team grouped again to play against an unfamiliar team, Papua New Guinea. As expected, our team successfully chased the given target effortlessly just within 8 over’s. The victory took Indian team a step closer to knockouts; the crew looked completely dominant in throughout these two games.
Coming to the last group match, it also failed to thrill audience as the bat and ball war became one side even against Zimbabwe. Shubman Gill performed well with his unbeaten 90 that helped India U19 to chase the given target just within 21.4 over’s. It is all the inspiration and techniques given by the coach Rahul Dravid to young blood that looked like an army in the battle field in almost every match. With every department contributing equally, India looked like a perfect team to bet this big event. Thanks to the sincere efforts of head coach and his crew. Without their valuable suggestions, it is impossible for the players to overcome their mistakes.
Trashing Bangladesh in Quarters
Carrying the same momentum into quarters, Indian team looked more confident than ever to take on Bangladesh. Under19 world cup has been the platform for many players in the recent past to get instant stardom. India has given a respectable target of 266 runs when they batted first on Republic day. With disciplined bowling, Indian bowlers bowled out the playing eleven of Bangladesh for 134. Expectations rose to peaks after quarters as the team is only two steps away from lifting the trophy.
Beating neighbor Pakistan with ease
The last but one battle was set against our arch rivals Pakistan that even had fair chances of winning the championship. Losing the toss, India has to bad first in the most crucial game where a win will open gates for finals. Batting first, India score 272 runs for nine wickets and the batting attack was once again taken forward by Shubman gills who has performed well n previous matches. Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to just 69 runs and mad them to stop at a step before final berth. The run to the final match of the tournament has been stunning; it is the result of team effort.
Finally, the day has come; it is the day for which the entire squad has been waiting since group stages. It is the day which gave the young squad to make their dreams become true. Starting their group stage match against Australia, India had to face the same team in finals. Our team never game a single chance to opposition throughout the game and bundled out the opposition by successfully surpassing the target given by them. Like other games, India defeated the opposite team easily without getting into any trouble.
Final Step to world cup glory
Coming to finals, both teams were hot favorites in the contest. Winning the toss, Australia team has chosen to bat first but as it turned out, everything moved out of their control. The batsmen attacked Indian bowling during the initial over’s but subsequently, it became too difficult to handle for them. Facing the forceful bowling attack, Australia scored 216 runs in 47.2 over’s. It is not a tough target for the Indian team that is filled with gifted with sheer of talented players. Reaching the expectations, Indian under19 worldcup team chased down the target with more than 11 over’s to spare. Aussies tried to target Indian middle order, but all their efforts went in vain as our batsmen confidently faced their bowling attack as Karla took the charge and led his team to world cup glory.
The much-hyped tournament failed to leave up to expectations as even the final batch became one-sided war in the favor of India. At the end, India sixth time reached the final and this is the fourth time to Lift up the trophy. A target of 217 is never going to be a tough one for Indian squad; it has been proved once again after the final four that helped the team to score more than Aussies. The under19 tournament is a very important contest for young players as the arrogance and confidence that comes with success at such age will create strong hope for their future. This is the second time Indian under19 world cup team has reached finals under the guidance of the wall of India, Rahul Dravid. It is very hard to find any other person other than him to shape up the future of Indian cricket team.
Find out the man behind the success
Coach is the one who allows players to motivate themselves, helps to find out their mistakes and play their natural game. The campaign has been wonderful for team India; this is the only squad in this team to remain unbeaten in all the games. The fame that these guys achieved with this tournament will be remembered for a long time, it helps them to prepare them positively for the next levels. The players have to undergo many crucial stages in upcoming days to emerge as a successful cricketer. Indian pulled off their second highest successful chase in Under19 world cup 2018 to emerge as a champion for the fourth time.
