Under-19 Asia Cup

India has an excellent record in the Asia Cup under-19 cricket championship. On eight occasions, India lifted the coveted trophy – more than any other team. Several outstanding Indian players have emerged from this level, including Irfan Pathan, whose nine wickets for 16 runs against Bangladesh in 2003 was the most devastating spell ever seen. However, recently, India's unexpected loss to Pakistan by a huge margin of 191 runs was a blot on India's wonderful record till now. The player who was primarily responsible for demolishing India was Pakistan's Sameer Minhas. His knock of 172 was the highest individual score in the final of an under-19 tournament. He surpassed Quinton de Kock's 146 against Pakistan in the final of a tri-nation tournament in 2012. It was also the highest score for Pakistan in youth ODIs. Shahzaib Khan held the record earlier, when he smashed 159 against India in the 2024 Under-19 Asia Cup. The nine sixes hit by Minhas are the most by a batter in a youth ODI tournament final. The 137-run, third-wicket stand between Minhas and Ahmed Hussain (56) took the game out of India's grasp. Eventually, India's margin of defeat against Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup final was the biggest ever defeat for India in terms of runs. What went wrong for India? The huge defeat, besides being hurtful to India's pride, has touched a raw nerve in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It discussed the matter at an Apex Council meeting and then called for a detailed report from coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and captain Ayush Mhatre. A quick analysis indicates that India lost mainly because Pakistan dominated in key areas – namely, batting intent and middle-overs bowling. For India, several small failures added up. India's bowling lacked penetration in the middle overs, and it missed the opportunity to break partnerships early. India was not poor in the field, but the boys were not sharp enough to control the rampaging Pakistan batters, especially Minhas. When India began the chase, it was already under pressure since Pakistan had reached 347. The target looked daunting from the beginning. Under the circumstances, India needed to think out of the box and pull out something unexpected. But, India's timid batting approach allowed Pakistan to control the game. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals, and by the time the fourth wicket fell at 59 (Vihaan Malhotra bowled by Abdul Subhan for 7), everyone knew that it was all over. Not only did the Pakistani bowlers take wickets, but they also choked the flow of runs. Dot-ball pressure led to forced shots and soft dismissals. There was no doubt that Pakistan’s bowling plans were better executed. The boys in green were tactically superior with the ball and used pace variations intelligently. Field placements were attacking, forcing batters to take risks. Full credit to Pakistan for making a solid game plan and implementing it in a faultless manner. Kawaljit suggests a remedy The former captain of the Hyderabad Ranji trophy team, Kawaljit Singh, who later coached the under-19 team and also served as a coach of the Deccan Chargers Indian Premier League (IPL) team, felt that the defeat was due to a sense of overconfidence. Kawal, who has also coached youngsters in Nagaland, told this correspondent: "Until the final, everything was going well. Our boys were doing what was expected of them. But in the final, I feel they became overconfident. That casual approach let us down. Especially when Sameer Minhas was going for big hits, the alarm bells should have started ringing. In such a key contest, even if you react a few minutes late, you are done for. Your reaction has to be instant, and you have to take steps to plug the gaps. This was not done." "However, there is no basic flaw in the team. They are full of talent and energy. Nowadays, the BCCI provides excellent facilities and encouragement to even the junior-level players. They get the opportunities early. For example, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, who are members of this squad, are already IPL players. What greater exposure can a young lad ask for?" said Kawaljit. "What is required now is more intensity and focus. The boys should realise that the match is not won till the last ball has been bowled. You just cannot afford to relax at a crucial juncture. Because we had already beaten every team, I think the players let their guard down, and it cost them dearly. It has to be drilled into the team that there should be no easing off until the cup is in our hands," said the off-spinner. "So, that is what we need to do. Our aim has to be to keep the youngsters mentally geared up to play at a 100 per cent level throughout the course of the tournament. All the inputs are already there. Great coaching, wonderful infrastructure and all that they can ask for is being provided. An effort to do some fine-tuning on the mental and emotional aspects of the game will prevent such disasters in the future," concluded Kawaljit.

Under-19 Asia Cup

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