India defeated Australia by eight wickets to win their fourth U-19 World Cup title in Mount Maunganui on Saturday. The Boys in Blue have won the most number of titles in the history of the tournament.
India skipper Prithvi Shaw credited the team, support staff and singled out Dravid for special mention after the final.
Can’t express what I’m feeling right now, really proud. All credit to our support staff for really supporting us for the last two years. Rahul sir himself is a legend, ‘The Wall’ as we all know him. Full credit to our coaching staff. When you have two guys (Dravid and Paras Mhambrey), who have played international cricket, it gives you great insights.Prithvi Shaw
He was all praise for centurion Manjot Kalra.
It was a crucial hundred from Manjot. (Shubman) Gill was batting so well before he got out. Both our pacers – Kamlesh (Nagarkoti) and Shivam Mavi, have been executing things so well through the tournament. It’s been wonderful playing matches here.Prithvi Shaw
Despite losing the final, Australian skipper Jason Sangha said he was proud of his team for the way they performed throughout the tournament.
Don’t know what to say at the moment. Proud of the guys to get this far in the tournament. Best thing about today was guys tried to grind it. As a captain, you can’t complain when everyone’s giving 110 percent.Jason Sangha
Sangha, however, admitted that they were completely outplayed by India in the final.
Full credit to India. They played very well. Best of luck for the guys for the IPL. Good for their supporters who came out today.Jason Sangha
Shubman Gill, who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his 372 runs, said:
I am really proud of my team. We were fortunate enough to have Rahul sir as our coach. He was just telling me to express my game and keep it on the ground. Had a good time here. It’s been very exciting for me. Hope to do well in IPL also.Shubman Gill
Manjot Kalra was awarded the Player of the Match after he blasted an unbeaten 101 off 102 balls to steer India to an eight-wicket win.
Great feeling. Enjoyed a lot. Conditions were very good. It was a flat wicket to bat on. In the team, it’s been a great environment.Manjot Kalra
Left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma, who took six wickets in the competition, said:
Obviously, we have dreamt of this from last year. We had few plans and we stuck to it. It’s always grateful to be part of this team. I can’t explain the feeling.Abhishek Sharma
We'll celebrate this night - best night of our lives." His teammate Riyan Parag described it as an amazing feeling to come up trumps in a tough match.
It’s just amazing. I was thinking I wouldn’t bat and I proved myself right. Just wanted Manjot to get to his century. I thought it’d be a tough match. It was tough, but we made it look easy. It (pitch) was good for batsmen as well as the bowlers.Riyan Parag
India seamer Ishan Porel praised the bowlers for putting up a great effort in the tournament.
I’m feeling on top of the world. Credit goes to support staff and team. A competitive effort. Got lots of messages from India. I can only say that our bowlers have been fantastic all through the tournament. It’s a team effort.Ishan Porel
(With inputs from PTI)
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