Fearless batting, calm bowling and big moments define a generation in the making
Oh boy! That’s been the cry all over India in the past week as the national Under-19 cricketers won the ICC World Cup for that category, stealing the thunder from the senior team preparing to defend their T20 World Cup title.
For once, “boys played well” should not sound clichéd. Indeed, they did, registering commanding wins over their rivals and at times digging their heels to wriggle out of tough situations before turning the tables on their stunned opponents.
The last game in the Super Six stage of the tournament against Pakistan was a case in point. It was charged with a heavy political undercurrent that resulted in tremendous pressure put on young shoulders. It showed, as the top half of the batting line-up was out for not much. Vedant Trivedi then rallied around the tail to keep India’s head high before the bowlers defended a decent total of 252 to restrict the arch-rivals to under 200 and script a 58-run victory that put the spring back in their step.
Others stepped up in the semifinal. Chasing Afghanistan’s mammoth 310 for four in 50 overs, they pulled out their top game, literally. Openers Aaron George and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, captain Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra fired in unison to finish the game with seven wickets in hand.
The lads changed gears in the final against England and went full throttle. Star Sooryavanshi slammed a whirlwind 175 in just 80 balls, a knock that drew comparisons with Kapil Dev’s 175 in a group game at the 1983 World Cup. Kapil scored those runs against Zimbabwe in England; Sooryavanshi got them against England in Zimbabwe. The youngster’s innings took India to a colossal 411 and batted England out of the game, which was sealed by a 100-run margin.
That was pure talent. The win proves that the future of Indian cricket is very bright. Quite a few from this side will eventually graduate to Team India. At just 14, Sooryavanshi has already made his mark in the IPL and is constantly knocking on the doors of the senior side. It won’t be long before he breaks it down and takes his place in the crack team.
