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‘U-19 WC Win Shouldn’t Define Them’: Here’s Why Dravid Said This

India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the final to lift their fourth U-19 World Cup.

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“Hopefully this isn’t a memory that defines them and they have a lot more bigger and better memories as they go on ahead in their careers,” said coach Rahul Dravid after India clinched the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.

India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the final to lift their fourth U-19 WC trophy, setting the record for most U-19 World Cup titles – having won them in 2000, 2008 and 2012.

But Rahul Dravid knows better than to put these young cricketers on a pedestal already. While addressing the media after their arrival in Mumbai, Dravid said that the real “challenge and hard work” would now start for the victorious Under-19 team. He recollected how just one of the cricketers from the Indian team that won the World Cup in 2012, has now got an India cap.

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It is interesting... the result of the final is India beat Australia, but six years down the line only one of those boys has played for India while 5-6 of them went on to play for Australia.
Rahul Dravid, U-19 India Coach

"Talent is there, ability is there, it's about managing themselves, how to deal with pressure and the expectations that will come as U-19 champions.

"It's not easy to get into the Indian side. At least if they become good first class cricketers, from then on it becomes a stepping stone to play for India," Dravid said.

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Forgotten Under-19 Champs

Ravneet Singh Ricky runs a cricket academy and works for Air India. Shalabh Srivastava has gone into oblivion after BCCI suspended him for five years following a sting operation on match fixing. Ajitesh Argal has played the last of his 10 first-class matches in 2015. Smit Patel is trying to keep his first-class career afloat by playing for India's worst performing domestic side Tripura.

Wondering how these four are joined by common thread? They were all star performers during India U-19 team's victorious World Cup campaigns in 2000, 2008 and 2012.

Ricky was adjudged best batsman of the 2000 World Cup campaign – a tournament that gave India Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif.

Srivastava, a left arm seamer, was the third highest wicket-taker in 2000 while Argal was the man of the final during Virat Kohli-led side's triumph in 2008.

Smit scored a half-century in the 2012 final.

But leave alone playing for India, Ricky, Smit, Shalabh and Ajitesh could not even remotely replicate their performance at the first-class level.

India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the final to lift their fourth U-19 World Cup.
India lifted the Under-19 World Cup in 2000 under the captaincy of Mohammad Kaif. 
(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Mohammad Kaif)

As the whole country is euphoric about U-19 World Cup success, an Unmukt Chand comment forces one to sit back and think.

"For every Virat Kohli story, there is a story of Unmukt Chand or Shikhar Dhawan also."

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Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Manjot Kalra, Shivam Mavi or Kamlesh Nagarkoti are no doubt talented but it is too early to say how many will make it big in international cricket.

"A few will make it but let's accept the fact that a lot of them will fall by the wayside. That's the reality but now important thing is to go back and play. It will be great if two or three from this batch make it," says former India opener Aakash Chopra.

What he feels will work for the current lot is that there is IPL which can hasten their progress.

"Kamlesh Nagarkoti is an exciting prospect and I expect him to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming IPL. So if he does well, then naturally Rajasthan will be forced to play him in Ranji Trophy despite Pankaj Singh, Aniket Chaudhary, and Deepak Chahar being there," Chopra explained the situation.

Chopra seems optimistic about Nagarkoti's future.

"A good IPL might have national selectors playing him in T20s and if you look, the Indian one day side's third and fourth pacer's slot is still undecided. You never know," Chopra said.

Like it could be a Catch-22 situation for someone like Harvik Desai as Parthiv Patel still plays for Gujarat. Smit had to shift to Tripura.

India defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the final to lift their fourth U-19 World Cup.
India has won their fourth Under-19 World Cup.
(Photo: ICC)
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But both Chopra and former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta agreed that there is no shortcut to playing first-class cricket.

Often at times people after watching live coverages go bonkers with calls to immediately draft some of them in the Indian team.

It happened with Unmukt and Harmeet Singh in 2012 but they couldn't live up to the expectations. But Chopra doesn't mind the hype as long as these kids show the mettle to take that pressure.

"I would rather want them to live in that pressure than be a Priyank Panchal who won't know what's there in store for him even after scoring 1000 runs," he said.

So from now on, it's wait and watch the story unfold.

(With inputs from PTI.)

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