Kolkata: The India Under-19 team, which topped Group B and marched into the fourth straight U-19 WC final after beating Australia resoundingly in the semi-finals, is all set for the final encounter. They will be taking on England in the finals at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, in North Sound Antighua on Saturday (February 5).
The ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 semifinal and group stage match had been a treat to watch for the fans. Many players have lit up the stage with impeccable performances throughout the tournament. The team has remained unbeaten so far in the tournament despite a sudden wave of Covid-19 which saw five of its players, including skipper Yash Dhull, testing positive and missing a game.
Some of the greatest current cricketers Kane Williamson, Steven Smith, Babar Azam, Ben Stokes, Virat Kohli, to name a few had one identical stop on their way to the top: the Under-19 World Cup. Every edition of the tournament gives us a new bunch of future star cricketers. From former India cricketers Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh to Yuvraj Singh to current stalwarts Rohit Sharma. Let’s take a look at 5 Indian players to watch out for in the final:
Yash Dhull (captain)
An “instinctive captain” in the words of team India coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, 19-year-old Yash Dhull from Delhi has risen through the with his leadership skills including his batsmanship. Dhull is already being considered one to watch out for in the future. A shade of Virat Kohli with his aggressive captaincy style and the hunger for runs, Dhull impressed one and all with his brilliant century in the semifinals against Australia. If he can lead India to their 5th World Cup title, the doors to IPL will also open up pretty easily.
SK Rasheed (vice-captain)
Andhra Pradesh youngster SK Rasheed has set the domestic U-19 scene on fire with a truckload of runs over the last five months. Rasheed’s age-defying maturity on the field has duly been rewarded with the vice-captain’s role for the World Cup. An absolute star of the Indian U-19 batting line-up, Rasheed heads into the tournament after finding his name among the top four run-getters in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Challenger Trophy and the U-19 Tri-series in Kolkata. Rasheed’s unbeaten 94 in the semi-final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup left the cricket world awestruck. Rasheed will lead this Indian side’s fortunes with the bat as their eyes will be on the fifth title.
Harnoor Singh
Harnoor, who hails from a family of cricketers, caught the attention after his consistent performances at the Asia Cup and a tri-series involving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. After making it to the Under-19 side in November, the runs have continued to flow. The tall left-handed opener scored 72 and 111 in games against Bangladesh Under-19 before following it up with 120, 46 and 65 in the Under-19 Asia Cup against UAE, Pakistan and Afghanistan respectively. Singh has already lit up the ongoing edition of the ICC U-19 World Cup, giving the world a glimpse of his unmissable talents as he scored a brilliant century in India’s warm-up game against Australia U19. All the eyes will surely be on this fiery batter.
Vicky Ostwal
Vicky Ostwal announced himself to the world with a starring performance in India’s opening fixture against South Africa, picking up five wickets in his 10-over spell. However, the youngster had already laid the foundation for success as he was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match’ in the U-19 Asia Cup final versus Sri Lanka. Vicky picked up three wickets in the final while finishing the tournament as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with six scalps to his credits.
Ravi kumar
Ravi Kumar, the only left-arm seamer in India’s current U-19 team. Ravi Kumar impressed in the lead-up to the World Cup as he picked apart Australia’s batting line in a warm-up game, registering figures of 4/34. Unlike the last crop of India Under-19 bowlers who relied on pace to trouble batters, Ravi’s success has been based mainly on control and seam position. Ravi is also the bowler who keeps things tight for India. He is an economic yet wicket-taking pacer, who is likely to share the ball duties in the the World Cup final with fellow pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
