U19 World Cup 2018: 5 things went right for India in the tournament

The India U19 team played outstanding cricket throughout the entire duration of the tournament. Subsequently, they have raced away to their fourth Under-19 World Cup, the most by any team in the history of the prestigious tournament. They were clinical in all department of the game and decimated oppositions.

However, there were several factors without which India would have struggled to win all their six games in the event. Several players put their hands up during crisis situations and took them over the line on several occasions. In this article, we take an insight into the five elements that went right for the Indians.

1. Fast-bowlers hunting in packs

Fast bowlers are crucial components of a bowling lineup as they mostly shoulder the responsibility of using the new ball. They also are relied on to restrict batsmen from scoring runs in the death overs. India had three pacers during their victorious campaign- Ishan Porel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi.

The start wasn’t auspicious for the trio as Porel triggered a leg injury following which he was benched for India’s next three games against Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Mavi and Nagarkoti ripped apart their rivals and picked up wickets at crunch moments.

However, Porel recovered for India’s marquee clash against Pakistan and stormed back with a four-wicket haul. He also picked up a couple of early wickets in the Final to push Australia on the back-foot.

2. Shubman Gill’s rich vein of form

Shubman Gill is one of the primary reasons why India have remained unbeaten in the six games of the tournament. He started his campaign off with a breezy knock against Australia, which helped India post a daunting target for the Kangaroos to trace down.

Thereafter, he went from strength to strength as the tournament progressed. He didn’t get a bat against Papua New Guinea courtesy India’s ten-wicket victory. However, he smashed notched a brilliant knock against Zimbabwe as India completed consecutive ten-wicket wins.

Nevertheless, his best knock in the event came against Pakistan in the semi-final. India lost a few wickets in the middle-overs after which Shubman notched a masterful century to bail India out. In the Final, he also looked good for his short, yet handy stint at the wicket.

3. Abhishek Sharma’s finishing touches

Abhishek Sharma, in a recent interview, revealed that he wishes to acquire MS Dhoni’s match-finishing skills. The fact that he took a cue from Dhoni’s books was palpable from his style of play. He mostly batted in the middle-order and didn’t flatter to deceive.

He started his campaign off with a quick-fire knock in the death overs against Australia, which propelled India’s score over the 300-run mark. He didn’t get an opportunity in India’s next couple of games against Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe courtesy impressive performances by the top order.

However, his most significant knock came against Bangladesh in the Quarter-Final. India found themselves in a spot of bother after losing wickets in the middle overs. However, Abhishek came to their rescue, scored a half-century and guided India to a respectable score.

4. Spinners choking oppositions

India is historically a side which prefers to dominate oppositions with its spinners. India had four of them during the tournament- Anukul Roy, Shiva Singh and Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag. They bowled exceptionally to stem the run-flow of the oppositions and hardly dished out anything loose.

They didn’t have much to do in India’s opening game against Australia as the pacers brushed the Kangaroos off.  However, Anukul Roy picked up a five-wicket haul against Papua New Guinea and eventually emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the event.

Shiva Singh, Abhishek, and Riyan Parag let him apt support and maintained pressure from the other end. They also returned with economical spells, which helped India restrict opposition batsmen from racking up massive scores on the board.

5. Superlative fielding

Fielding and catching are cornerstones in order for a team to emerge as tough competitors. Apart from batting and bowling, India was exemplary on the field. Abhay Sharma, India’s fielding coach, has worked extremely hard with the junior team and the results have shown.

The fielders have taken some exemplary catches and also inflicted some run-outs to derail the oppositions. They inflicted a couple of run-outs in India’s opening game Against Australia and were flawless thereafter with their out-fielding.

With tight fielding, the Indians have choked down their oppositions and hardly allowed any mishaps in the outfields. Sharma has previously emphasized his dream of making the India U19 team the best fielding-unit in their age-group and they are well and truly on their way.    

Follow CricTracker.com for latest news in the cricketing world