India U19 players to travel with seniors on the same flight

For the first time ever, Indian U19 as well as the senior team will be traveling together on the same flight to Dubai towards the end of this month. Dubai will be a stopover for the two camps from where they will head to different routes with the seniors flying to South Africa, while the juniors making their way Down Under for the World Cup.

While the seniors and the juniors will have their tickets booked in the same Emirates Airline flight that will take off at 4 am IST on 28th of December, the categories will be different as the former will be seated in the business class, while the latter will be in the economy class. It will be a great opportunity for the U19s to interact with some of the renowned India internationals and get some valuable tips from them ahead of the showpiece tournament that will be held in the seamy and bouncy conditions of New Zealand.

U19 team being sent early to adapt to the conditions

Although the U19 World Cup is starting from 13th of January, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to send the team a couple of weeks early on the insistence of the coach Rahul Dravid so that the players adapt themselves to the pitches and weather which will be completely different in New Zealand in comparison to what they experience in India.

“On the advice of the batting great and India U19 coach Rahul Dravid, the juniors are being sent early. Before the WC warm-ups, they will play against a few local teams too.” A source in the board was quoted saying by Times of India.

The Indian U19 team have not had a great time of late as they couldn’t qualify for the knockouts in the recently held Asia Cup and were eliminated from the group stage itself losing to teams like Nepal and Bangladesh. They will be keen to turn it around in the World Cup under Prithvi Shaw who has already been seen as a prospect for senior level Cricket at the age of 17.

India have been positioned in Group B with Australia, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe and will kick off their campaign on 14th of January against Australia at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.