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U-19 World Cup: Dravid's boys aim to rewrite history

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India seek record fourth title as they take on Australia in final

Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi are plain and simply express fast. Tall and lanky, hailing from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh respectively, they are the talking points in the rival dressing room in New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Under 19 World Cup. 

Batsmen at that age in general are not used to facing such fearful pace. The speed gun touched nearly 90 miles per hour in Nagarkoti's case. And there is no relenting in pace, it isn't the odd ball that is 140 kmp. The duo compliment their pace with tight lines, not going overboard with just bowling fast. And not only do they wreck top orders, the duo create pressure which was evident in the semifinal against Pakistan. 

The bowlers have benefited from their time spent with their India U-19 bowling coach Paras Mmbharey. The squad has played in different conditions in last one and a half years, having toured the sub-continent and England. 

On the other hand, The Indian top order consisting of  skipper Prithvi Shaw, opener Manjot Kalra and number three batsman Shubhman Gill have grabbed eyeballs with their run making abilities. All three are different in styles but they come together well to do bulk of the Boys in Blue's scoring. In fact, Gill apart, two other players from Punjab—Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma—are also part of this U-19 team. 

Shaw, the most talked about Indian batsmen going into the World Cup, has quietly gone about his job. He has made 94, 57*, 40 and 41 till now in 5 matches he has played so far. In one match against Zimbabwe, he dropped down one position as coach Rahul Dravid gave chance to Harvik Desai to open alongside Gill. It isn't about the runs Shaw scored, but how he scored is important—showcasing positive intent and absolutely no nerves, he and Delhi boy Kalra have set the stage for the rest of the batsmen to flourish. 

Perhaps the one player who has shone most brightly is Gill. His ton against Pakistan was a display of his “special talent” as he has been described by one and all who have watched him including Punjab's chairman of selector Yashpal Sharma.

Gill with his batting and the red handkerchief tucked in front—the waistband of his trouser is reminiscent of  great Indian batsman a Mohinder Amarnath—has more than impressed the cricket world. The red kerchief is not an emulation, but definitely a superstition as once after using it he scored a big hundred in an U-16 match. Since then, the red handkerchief has always been by his side in every match he has played. 

Gill's family hails from the border district of Firozpur but moved to Mohali to give him all possible opportunities to become a cricketer. According to former India wicket-keeper and current Punjab Coach Ajay Ratra, “He's special because he sees the ball a fraction of a second earlier than most batsmen, and his shot selection is really good. He can convert even good balls into runs.” 

There are already comparisons being made with another elegant and special batsman from Punjab- Yuvraj Singh – courtesy the timing and positive attitude. “He has the ability to hit, both on the front foot and back foot, and play every ball on its merit,” said Ratra. The  almost two year stint with India U-19 team and its coach Rahul Dravid has had a very positive effect on him, pointed out Ratra. “He has become more systematic in his work ethic.”

Shaw's voracious appetite for scoring runs is yet to fully express itself in the tournament; his opening partner from Delhi- Kalra is considered to be the next big talent to come through from the national capital's solid club structure. 

Described as elegant, mentally tough and a calm player Kalra comes from the same stable as Gautam Gambhir and Unmukt Chand did. Resident of North Delhi, he has been coached by Sanjay Bharadwaj  at the Bharat Nagar Academy of which Gambhir and Chand are products of. “He is a very mature boy – always keeps a calm head on his shoulders both on and off the field,” remarks Bharadwaj. “He plays with a lot of focus and concentration. I have always told him, giving examples of many seniors to play cricket with the same attitude both for country and state. I had a chat with him after the semifinals where I mentioned that he needs to convert the 40s into bigger runs and not let it go there,” said the coach who expects his ward to come up with a big score in the final. 

Gill's Punjab mate all rounder Abhishek Sharma, too, is rated very highly by the Punjab selectors and coaches. Both have already been fast tracked into the senior men's state team, having played a few first class matches each. 

Medium pacer Ishan Porel from Bengal, too, has been in the thick of action in the semifinal against Pakistan as he wrecked their batting with a spell of 4-17. It made former India skipper Sourav Ganguly comment in Bengal press that Porel should have been picked in the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad like his other fast bowling teammates. Hailing from Chandan Nagar, 50kms away from Kolkata, Porel is not express pace like Nagarkoti and Mavi, but his medium pace with that away movement caused Pakistan top order to perish. He played a major role in Bengal winning the Coach Bihr Trophy in 2017 and also made it to the Vijay Hazare 2016-17 squad. 

The trio will be a tough bowling group to overcome no doubt. He got injured in the opening game against Australia, wept hard thinking his world cup dream was over, missing out two games before returning for the quarterfinal against Bangladesh. He got his rhythm back well in time for the semifinal. That's one happy hunting bunch that Dravid and company have on their hands ahead of the final match on Saturday. 

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