Under-19 World Cup 2018: 5 biggest positives for India 

India created history on Saturday (3rd February) by winning the Under-19 World Cup (which was played in New Zealand) for the fourth time. India looked the most dominating team and were by far, the best team in the competition. They brushed aside every opponent they faced. The margin of victory - 100 runs against Australia, 10 wickets against Papua New Guinea, 10 wickets against Zimbabwe, 131 runs against Bangladesh (Q/F), 203 runs against Pakistan (S/F) and 8 wickets against Australia (in the final).

There were lots of positives for the India Under-19 team. Here, we look at 5 of the biggest positives of these Under-19 Champions.

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#5 Fielding

The Under-19 Indian team were seen setting some very high standards in the field. The way they have fielded in this World Cup has been phenomenal. They might have dropped a catch here and there, but they’ve been largely superb with their catching, particularly at slips.

Captain Prithvi Shaw led from the front and took some very good catches in the slips. No. 3 batsman Shubman Gill, and fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti have been superb in the field as well. In fact, Nagarkoti was the best fielder in the team and was often seen at backward point.

Fielding is one of the biggest reasons why India have done so well in the tournament. They have saved a lot of runs with their fielding and also have taken a few blinders.

#4 Showed immense focus

With the IPL auctions hovering around the knockout stages of Under-19 World Cup, and quite a few players registering for the T20 extravaganza, there was bound to be a little bit of distraction. Most players like to know which team they would be representing in the IPL (if they get selected).

However, the focus that the team showed was brilliant. The players admitted that they were nervous about the auction, but their main concentration was on the World Cup.

One of the main reasons for the Indian Under-19 team’s road to glory was their coach Rahul Dravid. Ahead of the quarter-final clash against Bangladesh, Dravid made a superb statement that kept the players retain their focus. “The auction is not something the boys can control. One or two auctions won't really have a long-term impact on their careers. There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn't come very often,” Dravid was quoted as saying.

Hence, even with some of the players (like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti) attracting a lot of bid (and attraction) in the IPL Auction, the team remained intact and focused on the job at hand, that is the World Cup.

#3 Temperament

India played the big moments very well. Even in the final, they were under pressure but they came back well.

In a multi-team tournament like the World Cup (Under-19), each team needs different players to stand up for the side at different stages if they are to do well in the tournament. And that is what exactly happened for India.

Every time the team was put under pressure, they found different players standing up and delivering. They did have a couple of easy games in the group stage against Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe, but in the knockout games (quarter-final, semi-final and final) they were in tough situations.

In the quarter-final against Bangladesh, India lost wickets at regular intervals while batting first. However, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma (at different stages) kept the scoreboard ticking from one end and eventually took the team to a fighting total of 265. Defending an under-par score, the Indian bowlers stepped up once again to bowl India to victory.

In the semi-final (against Pakistan), India lost wickets at regularly throughout the innings, but Shubman Gill once again stood up and scored a superb unbeaten 102 (in 94 balls) to take the score to 272.

In the final against Australia, they did show some nerves early in the game, but every time it seemed the Aussies were ahead, the bowlers bought India back in the game. 217 wasn’t a big target, but the pressure of a big final was there and the batsmen handled it superbly to help India clinch the title.

The focus, the discipline and the temperament they’ve show is throughout the tournament has been very good. Keeping their cool when things didn’t go in their favour (which happened seldomly), consolidating strong positions and treating every win as a motivation to win the next.

#2 India’s never-ending batting talent

Manjot Kalra and Prithvi Shaw provided solid starts at the top.

It’s amazing that India as a country keep producing some world-class batsmen one after the other. And this Under-19 World Cup they’ve found a few more stars. Prithvi Shaw (261), Shubman Gill (372) and Manjot Kalra (252) - all of them have scored over 250 runs in this tournament. Wicketkeeper-batsman Harvik Desai played only 4 games but has done really well at No. 4 (157 runs at 78.50).

Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw are tipped to be batting stars in the coming years. Gill has scored 1149 runs in Youth ODIs (Under-19) and averages a staggering 104.45 in 15 innings (strike-rate of 103.23). He was India’s leading run-scorer (and tournament’s 2nd highest) in the World Cup.

Prithvi Shaw made headlines even before landing in New Zealand. He has 5 hundreds and 3 fifties in 9 first-class that he has played over the last one year. Even though he didn’t get the big scores, Shaw ensured solid and brisk starts. Manjot Kalra stood up in the all-important final when both Shaw and Gill failed to convert their starts. Harvik Desai and Abhishek Sharma also made important contributions throughout the tournament.

Thus, India continue to produce batsman after batsman.

#1 Fast bowling stands out

Nagarkoti was one of the quickest bowlers on display in this Under-19 World Cup.

We often see India as a batting country. However, the success that the India Under-19 team has had in this World Cup is largely because of the bowlers. How often do you see two Under-19 boys from the same team bowling in excess of 140 kmph on a consistent basis?

Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti can hit high speeds on a regular basis. Their lines and lengths are impeccable as well. 9 wickets each (taken by Mavi and Nagarkoti respectively) in 6 games might not look outstanding, but the way they’ve bowled and created pressure has been one of the highlights of this World Cup.

If Mavi can swing the ball at pace (at about 140 kmph), Nagarkoti can rattle the batsmen with sheer pace as he has consistently hit more than 145 kmph in this tournament.

Ishan Porel who got injured in the first game came back in the knockouts and displayed good consistency as well. Even though he didn’t have the pace, his accuracy got him wickets. His 4/17 broke the back of Pakistan’s batting line-up in the semi-final. Even in the final, he provided India with the initial breakthroughs. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh who filled in for the absence of Porel in the group stages also did well (took 3 wickets in 2 games).

Thus, the fast bowlers were India’s biggest asset in this tournament and the future of fast bowling looks very bright with these young pacers performing brilliantly.