U-19 World Cup: The future of Indian cricket is here

Though Prithvi Shaw was the big star for India, having scored first-class centuries before coming into this tou.rnament, it was No 3 Shubman Gill, who stole the thunder with a hundred and three 50s. It was not just the scores he made that put him in a different league, but the way he controlled the innings whenever he was in the middle was remarkable. He is not just a One-Day International batsman for the future, he could soon sound a warning to some of the Indian  Test players too. 

Shaw is also in line to stake his claim for a spot to open the innings. Like all the Mumbai batsmen who played for India, he has a big appetite for runs and this could make him a good candidate to open the innings in Tests, if not in ODIs. 

The most heartening feature of the colts’ triumph was that someone always put their hands up when needed and it was Manjot Kalra, the left-handed opener who scored a brilliant century in the final against Australia. Though he is crazy with his running between the wickets, which led to Shaw getting run out in the match against Pakistan in the semi-final. Manjot hit the ball sweetly during his 100. There was always this question mark about India’s weak middle-order and if Australia nursed any hopes of pulling off an upset after dismissing the super stars Shaw and Gill, Harvik Desai stood by  Kalra to complete the task with a useful knock. 

Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were the standout fast bowlers in the entire World Cup with speeds exceeding 140km. But they seemed to be carried away by the pace marks and tried to compromise on line and length after the first-match success. Overall, India had a profitable outing in New Zealand and all credit should go to Rahul Dravid and the selectors for polishing the raw talents.