India Under-19 team moving in the right direction feels WV Raman

The India Under-19 team had a dream run in England after a convincing series win both in the limited-overs and longer formats of the game. The visiting Indian team ended undefeated on their tour by defeating the hosts 2-0 in the 2-match Youth Test series and 5-0 in the 5-match ODI series. It was also the first time when an Indian team managed to whitewash the English side at home.

Former India batsman and the stand-in coach of the U19 team, WV Raman feels proud of his boys after a display of complete dominance and a superior performance on the tough tour. He acknowledged the hard work and ability of the guys to perform as a team and winning in pressure situations. Raman also praised skipper Prithvi Shaw, allrounder Abhishek Sharma, fast bowlers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi and keeper Harvik Desai for their good composure in the crunch situations, which also added to the display of depth of the junior team.

“If you go abroad, play under different conditions and end up winning all the games in all formats, it’s an indication that the current crop of boys are good at adapting to different conditions and formats. The heartening thing is it wasn’t just about a couple of individual performances. Our bowlers chipped in with the bat under pressure, guys who flew in for the ODIs hit the mark straight away under pressure moments. That was the highlight of the tour for me,” WV Raman said, as quoted by Times of India.

Junior cricketing structure in India

The coach also praised the junior cricketing structure in India for providing the players with the latest facilities and all the important guidance in their path towards excellence. “The junior cricketing structure in India is probably the best in the world. It also includes the Under-16 category.These boys get to play numerous matches and that too at very good venues. They are well supported by the system.Thus, these players are definitely at an advantage as compared to the boys in the same age group from other countries,” Raman added.

“Most of them start playing for the state Under-16 or zonal sides. Their skills are developed in the off-season camps.They not only gain experience playing a lot of matches but these camps help them repeat their skills more often and gain proficiency. That’s why these boys are far superior to those from the other countries,” stated the 52-year-old, who is also the batting coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

On skipper Prithvi’s performance

Raman was absolutely impressed by the composure and calmness shown by young talented captain Prithvi in his first ever overseas tour. “Prithvi is fearless, dominating and confident. He has a special ability to get runs quickly. In another two years, he will find out a way on how to be aggressive consistently for longer periods,” concluded Raman.