Youth power: on India's U-19 World Cup win

Indian cricket has its work cut out to mentor(adviser/counselor-गुरु) the Under-19 team for the bigger stage

India's title triumph(victory/success-विजय) in the Under-19 cricket World Cup at the Bay Oval in New Zealand seemed inevitable(unavoidable/mandatory-अनिवार्य). Prithvi Shaw’s boys, astutely(shrewd/clever-चतुर) coached by Rahul Dravid, maintained an unbeaten record through their three-week sojourn*(stay/live-डेरा डालना). The rousing campaign commenced(begin/inchoate*-आरंभ) with a 100-run win against Australia on January 14; in subsequent (following/ succeeding-आगामी) games, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan were all emphatically defeated. There were no big-game nerves and even in the much-hyped semifinal against Pakistan, India pocketed a facile*(effortless/easy-सुगम) 203-run victory. In the summit clash against Australia, Shaw’s boys followed their template(sample/specimen-नमूना) of dominance(supremacy/impact-प्रभाव). Australia was bowled out for 216 and India cruised home in 38.5 overs with eight wickets to spare(left/extra-अतिरिक्त), and enjoyed the added luster(sheen/glow-चमक) of opener Manjot Kalra’s unbeaten 101. 

Through the tournament India found diverse (various / sundry-विविध) heroes. Fittingly, its batting troika*(तिकड़ी) of Shaw, Kalra and Shubman Gill, along with seamer Kamlesh Nagarkoti and spinner Anukul Roy, found a berth in the International Cricket Council’s Under-19 World Cup team, essentially a tribute(accolade*/regard-सम्मान) to the best players on view in the championship. Cricketing excellence allied(associated/affiliate-सम्बद्ध) with the resultant celebrity status, especially during the teenage years, can be a double-edged sword and it helped that in the dressing room there was the calming presence of Dravid. As the ecstatic*(enthusiastic/passionate-उत्साही) players leapt and photo-bombed after clinching(secure/grapple-हासिल) the trophy, Dravid cut through the hype and said that this win should not be the team’s defining memory as each individual cricketer has much more to achieve in his career.

Dravid has a point. India has won the Under-19 World Cup on four occasions, including the previous golden runs in 2000, 2008 and 2012. From among these champion sides, only a few graduated to the big stage. Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli came through the under-19 ranks and managed to carve a niche for themselves, but Unmukt Chand, who led the team to the Cup in 2012, and then featured in a soft drink advertisement besides writing a book, has been unable to make it to the Indian senior team. He is still finding his feet with the Delhi squad in domestic cricket. 

Shaw and his mates will be aware that after the spectacular rise under the New Zealand skies, they still have to earn and preserve(reserve-रक्षित) their respective spots in the State outfits before earning the right to rub shoulders with Kohli and his men. The road towards the high-stakes game of international cricket is long and *arduous(laborious / difficult-कठिन) and history has taught us that not all teenage prodigies(qualities/abilities-विलक्षण) can be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Kohli. For Shaw and company, the journey has only begun but their moment in the sun does suggest that Indian cricket’s conveyor belt is moving smoothly along.

*sojourn :- stay somewhere temporarily(डेरा डालना)

*arduous :- difficult and tiring(कठिन)

*inchoate :- just begun and so not fully formed or developed(प्रारंभिक)

*facile :- easily achieved(सुगम)

*troika :- a group of three people working together(तिकड़ी)

*accolade :- an award or privilege granted as a special honor(सम्मान)

*ecstatic :- feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness(जश्न)