Boys in blue chase glory

Mirpur, February 13

A seemingly invincible India are primed to win an unprecedented fourth ICC U-19 World Cup when they take on West Indies in the final here tomorrow.

India breezed into their fifth final under the guidance of coach Rahul Dravid, steamrolling their opponents in the three league games as well as in the knockouts.

If they win tomorrow, the Indians will surpass Australia for the most number of titles in the U-19 showpiece event introduced way back in 1988. India last won the trophy in 2012 after winning it in 2008 and 2000.

The Indians seem unstoppable but they cannot afford to take it easy against West Indies, who have upped their game as the tournament has progressed. The Caribbean team finished second in their group before earning plaudits with a spirited showing against Pakistan and Bangladesh in the quarters and semifinals, respectively.

India will once again bank on their dangerous opening duo of Rishabh Pant and captain Ishan Kishan to give them a flying start. Kishan, who has only one fifty to his name in five innings, would love to be among the runs in the big final. Another IPL recruit, Pant, too, would be itching to rise to the occasion after getting out cheaply against Sri Lanka in the semifinals.

Anmolpreet Singh would be high on confidence after making a crucial 72 against Sri Lanka and so would be Sarfaraz Khan, who is India’s leading run-getter in the competition with 304 runs at an average of 76, including four fifties in five games.

Pacer Avesh Khan, with 11 scalps, has taken the most number of wickets for the team while left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar has impressed with eight wickets from four matches at an average of 12.

West Indies know they have their task cut out ahead of their second tournament final, having finished runners-up to Pakistan in 2004. The Indian bowlers will have to find a way to stop Shamar Springer, who has been the most impressive West Indies batsman with 282 runs at 70.50. The all-rounder came up with unbeaten knocks of 37 and 62 to take his team home in the knockouts. Their standout bowler has been pacer Alzarri Joseph, who has taken 10 wickets at an average of 14.

All set for the final

“We are set for tomorrow,” said India captain Ishan Kishan. “There is obviously tension before every match and this is a World Cup final. We have reached our goal, now we need to achieve that goal. West Indies too has been playing well. It will be a good game. We just need to follow our plans. We can not think too far ahead. We are not worried about facing any bowler,” he said. “The plan is to keep wickets in hand. If we do that we can get a big score on the board. A total of 280 should be a good score, we will try for 300.” 

Bring them on

West Indies captain Shimron Hetmyer said West Indies are not over-awed by India’s unbeaten run in the tournament. “In the semifinals we played Bangladesh, which had not lost a match, and we won that game. So I don’t think it matters what has happened in the past,” he said.

“India is obviously a good team and we are excited about playing the final. It is a good feeling to have reached the final. We have come a long way in the last few months. We have turned into a very good unit. We have a very good bunch of cricketers with us. The journey has been good.” 

“We just need to keep it simple and play our best cricket in the final. We will give our best shot. Win or lose, the players will benefit immensely from the experience,” he added. — Agencies

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