India’s U-19 cricket squad is celebrating after achieving a fifth victory in the U-19 Cricket World Cup. The teams win against England, at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound in Antigua, was achieved in a relatively straightforward fashion despite a resilient display by English batsman James Rew.
India’s dominance in this competition is a result of the huge popularity of cricket in the country where watching, playing, and betting on the sport are all regular pastimes. According to the author for this site;
“Cricket is more than a sport in India, it’s a way of life. Whether picking up a bat and playing, live-streaming the action, or placing an online wager on their favorite team, Indians are passionate about cricket.”
This passion is at the root of young players’ dedication that has taken them to such a high level in international cricket. This latest win, by four wickets, shows how talented this latest crop of players are.
Indian win never in doubt
India’s win may not seem to have been comprehensive, but it was actually fairly straightforward. The Indian team was always ahead. The England bowlers may have prevented their opponents from achieving big partnerships but there were some decent scores along the way. Shaik Rasheed hit a 50 and Nishant Sindhu achieved the same score unbeaten.
However, it was England’s performance with the bat that really helped to secure a win for India. Indian seamers Raj Bawa (5-31) and Ravi Kumar (4-34) decimated the England batting line-up. Even James Rew’s impressive 95 off 116 balls could not rescue the situation for England and India’s victory never really looked in doubt.
Controversy as winning squad members not in IPL auction
A certain level of controversy has accompanied the achievements of the Indian U-19 cricket squad as several of them are not permitted to be involved with the IPL auction according to current rules. These rules state that U-19 players who will not turn 19 by the date of the auction must have played at least one first- class match or List A game in order to be included.
This means that players like Shaik Rasheed, Dinesh Bana, Ravi Kumar, and Nishant Sindhu cannot participate in the auction despite being central to India’s impressive U-19 Cricket World Cup victory. There has been some suggestion that an exception should be made, especially as so little cricket has been played in recent years due to the pandemic.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to make an official decision regarding any such exception and there is little time remaining before the auction takes place. So, right now, it seems as though these young players will have to wait for a future IPL to take part.
This does seem somewhat unfair given their global achievements. However, at the moment, these young cricketers are more concerned with celebrating their achievements and making plans for taking their career paths forward over the coming years.