New Delhi:
Prithvi Shaw had helped India achieve glory in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup when they defeated Australia in the final in New Zealand. Shaw and the likes of Shubman Gill, Manjot Kalra, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and a whole host of Indian superstars helped India become the most successful team in the history of the Under-19 World Cup. Now, Priyam Garg will be hoping to give India glory ahead of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup that will be played in South Africa. Before the Under-19 World Cup, the India colts are scheduled to travel to South Africa for three one-day matches against the Proteas U-19 side, followed by a Quadrangular Series featuring South Africa U-19, India U-19, Zimbabwe U-19 and New Zealand U-19.
Ahead of the tournament, Garg revealed to ESPNCricinfo that he had taken plenty of advice from Prithvi Shaw about the tournament. "Although I haven't spoken to Virat sir yet, I have spoken to Prithvi sir a lot. He told me 'your planning, your process and your team-bonding is most important'. The more the team will feel a sense of togetherness, the better will they perform. Prithvi sir also told me that the team should know what their strengths are. He said that team-bonding played a big role in India's success in 2018," Garg said.
India U-19 head coach Paras Mhambrey said the team is balanced and the practice games ahead of the tournament will provide room for experimenting with a few combinations. "The good thing is that we're a very balanced side. (We have) seaming all-rounders, spinning all-rounders, quality fast bowlers and batsmen as well. So, those games in South Africa give us an opportunity to experiment and try a few combinations. In case we face such conditions, then we know the right steps. You go in with one kind of mindset, but the conditions may not turn out that way. Teams that are flexible will always do well. We're looking at doing that too. We've spoken about it and we're lucky to have a balanced XV," Mhambrey added.
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The 13th edition of the U-19 World Cup will be played among 16 teams, split into four groups. India are placed in Group A with first-time qualifier Japan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super League stage.
