A reckoning force

Year 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and now 2022. Five times, India has become the only team to win the U-19 World title, something that no other team has done more than thrice. This is not just a feat to be proud of, but also one that speaks of how India is grooming young cricketing talent this is exponential.

Rocky start

It was not a smooth road leading into this tournament. It was a rough ride. On September 17, 2021, the Indian Selection Committee led by Sharath Sridharan was appointed to pick a team, but there was not much youth cricket being played through a pandemic-stricken world.

Nonetheless, led by 19-year-old Yash Dhull, a team was sent to the Caribbean. India started the campaign with a comfortable 45-run win against South Africa, but this was anything but clinical. Come the next faceoff against Ireland, as many as six players, including captain Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed tested positive for Covid-19, and were isolated as per norms. India's hopes looked rather gloomy, and no one could have dreamt of the brighter days that were about to come forth.

Exemplary resilience

Against Ireland, India went out with all guns blazing, recording an emphatic 174-run historic win. These back-to-back wins saw India qualify for the quarter-finals. In the final group match against Uganda, a young India ran amok and riot, amassing 405 runs with centuries from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (144) and Raj Bawa (162*), before bundling the inexperienced Ugandan batting lineup out for a mere 80 runs.

In the quarter-finals, India faced a Bangladesh challenge, as happened to the elder side in 2020. But these times were a-different, with Yash Dhull and Shaik Rasheed shining true and making a fast-reckoning force yet more formidable. Batting first, Bangladesh was knocked out of the ground for just 111, leaving India high and dry to book a date with Australia in the semi-finals. And as all of us have witnessed, age and temerity hold no bar when Indians clash with the Aussies it is always blood for blood.

Some might argue that even without the strapping duo of the captain and vice-captain, India may have won still. Batting first, India was in a spot of bother with just 180 runs in over untold, with the overs unfolding. But with 10 overs remaining, Shaik (94) and Dhull (110) changed gears on the day that mattered and India posted a massive 290 in a semi-final. Aussie shoulders dropped and they could not just get going in this run-chase, being bundled out for 194.

India thus stormed into the finals. And lest you don't know this, this was India's fourth consecutive U-19 World Cup ODI final match. And what a match it was! Nothing much changed against England. Even the wisest cricketing brains predicted that whoever won the toss and batted first and put runs up on the board would needle the opposition into a corner.

India ended up with a flier and soon had England staring down a deep and dark road, with the scoreboard reading 61-6. James Rew (95) was a classic example of exemplary batting and with his support, the tail took England to 189. A target of 190 was always tricky. There are numerous instances when we have seen this happen.

The first ball of the Indian innings saw the dismissal of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Subsequently, India approached the run chase cautiously, which saw the required run rate crawling upwards. After 18 overs, India was at 49-2 and it could have been anyone's game. Shaik Rasheed and Yash Dhull again came to the rescue with a gritty 46-run partnership before falling prey to James Sales in a span of one over. Nishant Sidhu and Raj Bawa had different ideas, though, very vicious indeed, one that included two sixes off the last two balls, Dhoni-style. They defied the much-needed wicket the English bowlers were desperate for and India won by four wickets.

Why World Champions?

For more than a while, India has been a juggernaut that none can stop. Despite initial hiccups, India has remained unbeaten throughout. The team has been more than a few shades better than any other in the tournament. Lauding the achievement, VVS Laxman, who heads the National Cricket Academy, underscored the significance of the tournament and how it is but a first step in the journey of these players. "This is just the start of their journey.

Well said, for Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and now Yash Dhull have laid the foundation of Indian cricket's future.

The composure and maturity reflected by the youngsters is indicative of a well-laid-out structure that India has put in place, effectively grooming players to withstand worst-case scenarios. This is perhaps the reason behind India's remarkable bench-strength, one that leaves the best of cricketing nations in a state of envy and ignominy. When we talk of India's senior team being at the helm of worldwide cricket, the efforts made at the roots are often less-acknowledged.

India's victory against England in the U-19 World Cup final, as also its confident posturing all through the tournament, shows that our dominance in cricket spans ages and will not fade anytime soon. Solid roots determine the stature of the tree.

The writer is the Assistant Editor, Millennium Post. Views expressed are personal. arif.mpost@gmail.com