All you need to know about India's squad for the ICC U-19 World Cup

Despite having a strong team, India came up short in the 2014 editionThe Indian colts will play their first match of the Under-19 World Cup against Australia on January 28 in Mirpur. India have been placed in Group D along with Australia, New Zealand and Nepal. While conceding that they have been placed in a tough group, coach Rahul Dravid remained reasonably optimistic about their chances in the tournament.Dravid had said, "I think we've got a very good balanced side, especially for the conditions. We were looking for different kinds of skill sets. The fast bowlers have been quite exceptional in both the tournaments which has been a really good sign. We've got a couple of good spinners coming through as well and a lot of all-rounders who can chip in especially in the spin-bowling department.”Let us take a detailed look at the India U-19 squad for the World Cup and see if they have enough firepower to do well in the tournament.

#4 Bowlers

Avesh Khan could soon find himself in the senior Indian team

In the bowling department, India have chosen to go in with four pacers and three spinners. The pace department led by Avesh Khan also comprises Shubham Mavi, Khaleel Ahmed and Rahul Batham.

Avesh Khan shot to fame after his surreal match-winning spell of 6-3-4-4 against the Bangladesh U-19 side in November, last year. Khan who has raw and exciting pace will be the spearhead of the Indian attack in the U-19 World Cup.

The pacers will be complimented by the left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar and leg-spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Mahipal Lomror. Having picked up 11 wickets from his 6 matches for India Under-19, which includes a sublime spell of 5 for 37 against Afghanistan U-19 last November, Ansari’s leg-spin will hold the key to India’s success in the tournament.

Dagar will be another key bowler as he has been in great form of late. Dagar and Khaleel Ahmed were jointly the highest wicket-takers in the tri-series in Sri Lanka last year as they finished with 7 wickets each from 2 matches.

#3 Wicket-keepers

Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan has already evoked comparisons with MS Dhoni

“Discipline is what I’m learning from Rahul [Dravid] sir, both in life and cricket,” said Rishabh Pant after scoring a majestic 98-ball 118 against the Afghanistan U-19 team last year. The dashing wicket-keeper batsman who is a self-confessed Adam Gilchrist fan has had a lot going for him recently.

Someone who is not afraid to play the lofted shot against the pacers and use his feet against the spinners, the wicket-keeper batsman hailing from Uttarakhand surely has a bright future ahead of him.

Pant will be deputy-in-charge to another aggressive wicket-keeper batsman, Ishan Kishan, who will be captaining the side. The fact that Kishan was chosen as captain ahead of Pant and Ricky Bhui came as a surprise to many. It is also a fair reflection of how much expectation the team management has in him.

Kishan, who is also popularly referred to as Chotey by his Jharkhand team-mates, is already being considered to be a worthy successor to Dhoni.

#2 All-rounders

India’s U-19 team in action against Pakistan during the 2014 World Cup

One of the great strengths of the Indian colts’ squad is that it boasts of a large number of specialist batsmen who can turn their arm over. Amandeep Khare and Anmolpreet Singh can make valuable contributions with the ball if need be.

Washington Sundar, who is one of the mainstays of the batting order, can also deliver crucial breakthroughs with his off-break bowling. And the fact that most of them bowl spin is going to be an immense help on dry pitches in Bangladesh.

But two of the three specialist spinners in the squad, Mahipal Lomror and Mayank Dagar are the only ones who are considered to be genuine all-rounders. Dagar can be handy with the bat as he showed when he stitched together a crucial 57-run partnership with Bipul Sharma in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final last year.

Lomror with his canny leg-breaks and his ability to wield the willow lower the order is also a valuable asset to the side.

#1 Batsmen

Sarfaraz Khan’s presence will bolster the middle-order

Needless to say, much of the batting responsibilities will lie on the captain, Ishan Kishan and his deputy, Rishabh Pant. But apart from them, India have a strong batting line-up comprising of Washington Sundar, Sarfaraz Khan, Amandeep Khare, Anmolpreet Singh, Armaan Jaffer and Ricky Bhui.

In Ricky Bhui and Washington Sundar, the colts have plenty of experience in their batting order. A calm middle order batsman with three first-class centuries, an IPL contract and the experience of having played a U-19 World Cup, Bhui was even considered to be a strong contender for the captain’s spot.

Bhui will be ably complemented by Sundar’s classicism. Having scored 208 from 4 innings in the tri-series against Sri Lanka, Sundar does know how to pile up the runs.

And there is no paucity of young talented batsmen in the squad as well. Arman Jaffer, nephew of former Test opener Wasim Jaffer has proved his insatiable hunger for runs by scoring an incredible three consecutive double hundreds in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy last year. He eventually piled on 1018 runs in seven innings for Mumbai U-19.

Sarfaraz Khan was, of course, one of the emerging stars of last year’s IPL. Due to his unorthodox style and big-hitting ability, he had caught instant eyeballs and was much appreciated even by the likes of AB de Villiers.