A Covid demise, a household’s trials: behind U-19 trophy

INDIA’S DOMINANT run on the Under-19 World Cup culminated in a record-extending fifth title on Sunday. The newest triumph, nevertheless, will stand aside as a result of tenacity proven within the face of unprecedented challenges off the sector. The pandemic rocked the run-up and threatened the marketing campaign itself — at one level, the workforce was lowered to 10 match gamers.
However, identical to their seniors at Australia’s Gabba in January 2021, the juniors remained defiant until the top, prevailing over England by 4 wickets within the ultimate at Antigua. But then, a glimpse of the life tales of those cricketers present why they had been by no means rattled — from a participant who misplaced his father to Covid to a number of others who overcame excessive odds to succeed in the head 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 9 wickets within the knockout video games, informed The Indian Express.
After starting the event on a constructive be aware, overcoming South Africa by 45 runs, India discovered themselves struggling to subject a taking part in XI. Hours earlier than their match in opposition to Ireland, a number of gamers examined constructive 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 organised, the way every single detail was covered, it was remarkable from the BCCI,” Kumar stated.
Captain Yash Dhull was among the many 5 unavailable for the second group conflict in opposition to Ireland on January 19. His deputy Shaik Rasheed, Aaradhya Yadav, Manav Parakh and Siddarth Yadav had been the others pressured out of the Ireland and Uganda fixtures, prompting the BCCI to fly in reinforcements. Assistant coaches ran out with the drinks.
Thirty minutes earlier than leaving for the stadium to face Ireland, allrounder Nishant Sindhu was informed he could be main the workforce.
“I was putting tapes on my bowling hand when I saw (wicket-keeper Dinesh) Bana rushing into my room. He said, ‘Tu aaj captain hai (You are the captain today)’. I thought he was pulling my leg. I went down to the lobby and was told by (National Cricket Academy head) V V S Laxman sir and (coach) Hrishikesh Kanitkar sir that both Dhull and Rasheed are Covid-positive and I would be the captain,” stated Sindhu, who steered India house from a difficult place with an unbeaten 50.
Sindhu led India brilliantly in opposition to Ireland and Uganda, however a day earlier than the quarterfinal in opposition to Bangladesh, he examined constructive, too. “I had no symptoms at all. It was quite weird,” he says.
But for individuals who know this workforce, the resilience within the face of adversity was not a lot of a shock.
Captain Dhull, who braved extreme Covid results, returned with a match-winning century in opposition to Australia within the semifinal, days after he rescued his workforce in opposition to South Africa with a feisty 82. Dhull’s grandfather Jagat Singh, an Armyman, was his information and drove him to matches. Before passing away a couple of years in the past, Jagat had “instilled discipline and dedication” in Dhull.
Dhull’s deputy, Rasheed, broke down whereas speaking to his coach J Krishna Rao. His phrases had been: “Sir, I think my World Cup is over. I might not recover for the knockouts.”
To allay his fears, Rao reminded him of the sacrifice his dad and mom had made for his or her son. Father Balisha misplaced jobs, might hardly maintain the household at occasions and needed to transfer cities, however he saved his son’s cricket dream alive. Rashid pulled himself collectively and scored 94 within the semifinal and 50 within the ultimate.
Vicky Ostwal, the workforce’s most profitable bowler with 12 wickets, was one of many few who performed all of the matches. But the enjoyment of success got here after a lot hardship for the lanky left-arm spinner.
As a nine-year-old, Ostwal would journey from Lonavala to Mumbai every single day together with his father Kanhaiya to play cricket. “I saw them sometimes coming late, sometimes too early,” stated 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 different prodigy within the workforce, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who was in all probability the quickest pacer of the event and grabbed eyeballs together with his towering sixes, misplaced his father to Covid in June 2020. “What will you tell someone who has lost his father to this virus?” requested Jadhav. “The only thing that drives him now is bowling fast and hitting sixes.”
Raj Angad Bawa, the participant of the ultimate, was banned from bowling quick by father-coach Sukhwinder Bawa. The want for velocity noticed the teenager bowl fast on the nets, after which request his Punjab U-16 teammates to maintain it a secret.
Sukhwinder, who wished Raj to be an all-rounder and never a tailender, ensured that his son by no means missed observe. At the World Cup, Raj bagged a four-wicket haul in opposition to South Africa, and adopted with a 42 in opposition to Ireland. With a 108-ball 162 not out in opposition to Uganda, he surpassed Shikhar Dhawan’s 155 in opposition to Scotland in 2004 as the very best rating by an Indian on the U-19 World Cup.
Raj saved his greatest for the ultimate, although. He ran by the England center order with figures of 5 for 31, the most effective bowling efficiency ever in a U-19 World Cup ultimate.
Delhi-born Angkrish Raghuvanshi, the youngest within the squad, left Gurgaon on the age of 11 and moved to Mumbai to hone his abilities whilst his brother Krishang, now a tennis participant, was recognized with blood most cancers when he was a toddler.
“Angkrish used to sleep with us in hospitals. Those five years were the most dreadful. He would never leave his baby brother alone,” says mom Malika, who’s in Spain’s Mallorca, the place her youthful son is competing in a junior event.
“We provided Angkrish with everything, but the process of Krishang’s treatment made him mentally tough,” she says. The opener amassed 278 runs within the event.

Then, there’s the fearless wicketkeeper-batsman Bana, who completed the ultimate with back-to-back sixes. Though the picture of a wicketkeeper clinching the World Cup would appear acquainted to Indian followers, Bana was not even the primary selection.
It was in the course of the India B vs India F sport within the Challengers Trophy that his buddy Sindhu knowledgeable him: “The U-19 selectors will be here to watch our match today.” Bana’s reply was: “Tu bas six count karna aaj mere (You just count my sixes today).” Bana smashed a 98-ball 170, together with 10 fours and 14 sixes.
While dad and mom from South Africa, England, Australia and some different groups accompanied their wards to offer emotional help, the Indian gamers relied on their teammates. As Dhull stated at a press convention: “The Covid outbreak in the camp only made them more determined to win the Cup.”