5 reasons why India won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup

Prithvi Shaw and his boys entered the record books by becoming the fourth Indian team to win the Under 19 World Cup. The victory was indeed special considering that the World Cup was played in New Zealand and the conditions and the pitches were alien to most of the young cricketers. The Indian team was a confident outfit and thrashed all opponents which came in their way. Australia, New Papua Guinea and Zimbabwe were thrashed in the group stages. Bangladesh and Pakistan were no competition for the ruthless Indian team in the quarter finals and the semi finals respectively.

India cruised to a win over Australia in the finals which evidenced that the Under 19 boys are way ahead of their counterparts. India had a perfect tournament and were unchallenged right through. Here is a detailed analysis as to why team India won the Under 19 World Cup.

#5. The coach - Rahul Dravid:

The Under-19 boys from India could not have asked for a better coach than Rahul Dravid. Ever since he was appointed coach of the Under 19 team in 2015, he built a strong team by identifying the players who could represent India. He was the coach of the 2016 Indian U19 team, who were the runners up of the 2016 edition.

Dravid was determined that his boys would proceed a step further. Dravid, in his illustrious career for India failed to win a single World Cup and hence coaching a team to a World Cup team would be a special moment for Dravid.

He has indeed contributed a lot to Indian cricket and guided many young boys to become the future superstars in international cricket.

#4. The preparation:

Winning a World Cup in New Zealand in alien conditions was indeed special for India

For most of the young Indian boys who had played cricket on flat wickets in India, getting used to the wickets in New Zealand was indeed a challenge. Historically, all Indian teams have struggled in New Zealand and considering the challenge ahead, the Indian team landed a week before the tournament and had a couple of practice matches which ensured that they had a feel of what to expect in the tournament.

The preparations ensured that the Indian team was ready to face any opponent in the tournament and were termed as favorites right from the beginning of the tournament. India indeed lived up to the favorites tag and recorded a famous victory in the 2018 edition of the Under 19 World Cup.

#3. The pace trio:

Kamlesh Nagarkoti picked up 9 wickets in the tournament

Very rarely has any Indian team seen three pacers picking up most of the wickets of the opponents. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Ishan Porel were indeed a nightmare for all India's opposing teams this World Cup.

Nagarkoti and Mavi were the pick of the Indian bowlers, with both picking up 9 wickets in the tournament Ishan Porel too impressed in the 3 matches he played in the tournament and his spell of 4- 17 against Pakistan in the semi finals led India to a famous victory against the arch rivals.

The trio have ensured that the future of Indian pace bowling is in safe hands and will look to bowl out top quality batmen at the international level too.

#2. The top order:

Shubman Gill averaged 124 in the 2018 U 19 World Cup

The top 3 batsmen of the India Under 19 team ensured that the team was off to flying starts on most occasions.

The skipper Prithvi Shaw got off to a good start in almost every match, and scored 261 runs in the tournament at a healthy average of 65.25 which included 2 half centuries.

Manjot Kalra too had an impressive tournament and scored 252 runs at an average of 84. His century in the finals against Australia was a special innings and he served as a perfect opening partner for Shaw.

Shubman Gill is surely a player to watch out for in the future. The young batsman averaged 124 in the tournament and his impressive century against Pakistan in the semi-finals led India to a respectable total. Gill for his consistent performances with the bat in the tournament was awarded the Man of the Series award.

The trio of Shaw, Kalra and Gill have had a very impressive start to their cricketing careers and a couple of good seasons at the domestic level will ensure their entry in the Indian team in the near future.

#1. The captain:

Prithvi Shaw led India to the Under 19 World Cup triumph

Prithvi Shaw was very tactical as a captain in the Under 19 World Cup. Shaw has a sharp cricketing brain, which was reflected in the tournament. He also had the experience of playing domestic cricket which clearly made made him the favorite to lead India in the tournament.

Though Shaw was not as aggressive and vocal as Virat Kohli on the pitch, he was spot on with his bowling changes and field settings in the mega event.

Shaw is indeed captaincy material and will look to lead India to another World Cup victory in the future.