2018 ICC U-19 World Cup: Aditya Thakhare to replace Ishan Porel for Under-19 World Cup

What's the story?

Vidarbha's fast bowler Aditya Thakare has been called up to India's Under-19 squad to replace the injured Ishan Porel. "It's hard to predict how long he'll [Porel] take to recover, but we're looking at giving him every opportunity to be a part of the campaign again, because this is what he's worked for," a member of India's support staff told ESPNcricinfo.

In case you didn't know..

Porel bowled 4.1 overs in India's opening match of the tournament against Australia on Sunday before walking off the field with an injured ankle. The injury did not allow him to train ahead of India's second game against Papua New Guinea today.

On the other hand, Thakare, who turned 19 last November, made his first-class debut for Vidarbha only in the final of the just-concluded Ranji Trophy season of 2017-18 and was one of the five reserves for the Under-19 World Cup squad. He picked up 2/74 in the first innings against Delhi and impressed his coach Chandrakant Pandit with his swing and accuracy as Vidarbha ended up lifting their maiden Ranji title.

The heart of the matter

Though Porel has been ruled out of India's final group game against Zimbabwe, team management are looking forward to getting him fit for the quarter-finals. "We're looking to possibly having him fit in time for the quarter-finals. It could take five days, sometimes seven days. At the moment, he won't play the game against Zimbabwe either,” the member mentioned.

Interestingly, Thakare was not chosen to participate in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, instead being sent to play in the Cooch Behar Trophy, where Vidarbha were set to play Karnataka in the semi-final at Nagpur in three days' time.

What's next?

Thakare is set to join the Indian Under-19 team in New Zealand by flying to the host nation tomorrow.

Author's Take

Thakhare's selection can be described as the right choice at the right time. Having been engaged in junior level cricket with the Cooch Behar Trophy following a respectable Ranji debut, the medium-fast bowler is maintaining his flow and could prove to be an ideal replacement for Porel.