INDIA’S DOMINANT run at the Under-19 World Cup culminated in a record-extending fifth title on Sunday. The latest triumph, however, will stand apart due to the tenacity shown in the face of unprecedented challenges off the field. The pandemic rocked the run-up and threatened the campaign itself — at one point, the team was reduced to ten fit players.
However, just like their seniors at Australia’s Gabby in January 2021, the juniors remained defiant till the end, prevailing over England by four wickets in the final at Antigua. But then, a glimpse of the life stories of these cricketers show why they were never rattled — from a player who lost his father to Covid to several others who overcame extreme odds to reach the pinnacle of junior cricket.
“The way people worked behind the scenes was tremendous, and nobody complained. Our manager contracted Covid and was in another city, but he was getting things done on the phone. Our physio became our doctor, our video analyst became the manager. Coaches were doubling their roles in the team,” Ravi Kumar, the left-arm pacer who fetched India nine wickets in the knockout games, told The Indian Express.
After beginning the tournament on a positive note, overcoming South Africa by 45 runs, India found themselves struggling to field a playing XI. Hours before their match against Ireland, multiple players tested positive for Covid.
At one stage, there were ten of us fit to play against Ireland. The eleventh player, who was injured, had to finally play. It was an extremely professional environment. The way the practice was organized, the way every single detail was covered, it was remarkable from the BCC, Kumar said.
Captain ash Dull was among the five unavailable for the second group clash against Ireland on January 19. His deputy Sheik Rasheed, Manav Parekh and Siddharth ADAV were the others forced out of the Ireland and Uganda fixtures, prompting the BCC I to fly in reinforcements. Assistant coaches ran out with the drinks.
Thirty minutes before leaving for the stadium to face Ireland, all-rounder Nishant Sindhi was told he would be leading the team.
To allay his fears, Rao reminded him of the sacrifice his parents had made for their son. Father Balisha lost jobs, could hardly sustain the family at times and had to move cities, but he kept his son’s cricket dream alive. Rashid pulled himself together and scored 94 in the semifinal and 50 in the final.
Vicky Ostwal, the team’s most successful bowler with 12 wickets, was one of the few who played all the matches. But the joy of success came after much hardship for the lanky left-arm spinner.
As a nine-year-old, Ostwal would travel from Lonavala to Mumbai every day with his father Kanhaiya to play cricket. “I saw them sometimes coming late, sometimes too early,” said his childhood coach Mohan Jadhav. “One day I asked where they lived, and Vicky replied that he came from Lonavala. He is a tough kid.”
Jadhav’s other prodigy in the team, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who was probably the quickest pacer of the tournament and grabbed eyeballs with his towering sixes, lost his father to Covid in June 2020. “What will you tell someone who has lost his father to this virus?” asked Jadhav. “The only thing that drives him now is bowling fast and hitting sixes.”
Raj Angad Bawa, the player of the final, was banned from bowling fast by father-coach Sukhwinder Bawa. The need for speed saw the youngster bowl quick at the nets, and then request his Punjab U-16 teammates to keep it a secret.
Sukhwinder, who wanted Raj to be an all-rounder and not a tailender, ensured that his son never missed practice. At the World Cup, Raj bagged a four-wicket haul against South Africa, and followed with a 42 against Ireland. With a 108-ball 162 not out against Uganda, he surpassed Shikhar Dhawan’s 155 against Scotland in 2004 as the highest score by an Indian at the U-19 World Cup.
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