Tom Prest of England and Yash Dhull of India pose with the ICC U19's Men's World Cup Trophy ahead of the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Final match between England and India at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on February 04, 2022 in Antigua. (ICC) There’s this funny cricketing yarn from the 1999 under-19 Cricket World Cup that salutes the audacity and enterprise of an Indian player. That event in Sri Lanka had got a broadcasting scale-up. Junior cricket was getting big. Like the senior World Cup, this one too had high-profile commentators, multiple cameras and, the new-to-the-region innovation, the stump microphone.
It was the late 90s, the mobile boom was yet to take place, India still waited for sunset to queue outside STD booths to make cheap calls. Committed to calling home every evening, conscious of his limited daily allowance and intimidated by high call rates of that era, a boy from Punjab had a brain wave. He would use the stump mic to stay connected with his family that was glued to the television, always searching for their son on the screen.
As we get ready for the #U19CWC 2022 Final, let's rewind the times when India U19 clinched the U19 World Cups. 👏 👏
It was in 2000 when India U19 bagged their maiden U19 World Cup title. 🏆
Drop a comment & share your memories of this landmark win ✍️ 📸 pic.twitter.com/XLW5FIbHWc
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 4, 2022
Legend has it that whenever he got a chance during a match, the boy would sneak to the batting crease, bend low and whisper – “Sab ṭhik hai ithe, rata nu 7 vaje kaal karo (All well here, call at 7 tonight)”. Never ever had the satellite signal beamed up the message of a homesick boy from a cricket field to his living room. Rarely has a television set doubled up as a telephone. And you thought, Virat Kohli, another u-19 World Cupper, was the first to use the microphone on the ground to talk to those beyond the boundary line?
This Saturday evening, India’s brightest young cricketers will take the field in the West Indies. They are odds-on favourites to repeat the feat that Mohammad Kaif and his boys achieved two decades back. India defeated Australia in the semi-final. They now play England. The high hurdle has been cleared, the easier home run remains.
Delhi boy Yash Dhull leads a bunch of cricketers from a generation which started playing cricket when India was well and truly a cricketing superpower. They would have walked into academies with the knowledge that cricket was a viable employment option. The Indian Premier League promised many vacancies for well-paid jobs.
Most in the Class of 2022 would have fiddled with cell phones even before they could walk. They wouldn’t be seen sneaking to the stump microphone to slyly pass messages home. But still the under-19 World Cup retains its innocence.
That bubbling with joy ‘Look Mom, I am on television’ expression on the fresh faces, those well-rehearsed Ronaldo celebration poses, the endearing awkwardness at press conferences; age cricket provides the thrill to see young cricketers taking baby steps. It has a refreshing amateurish feel. Sometimes it’s like stopping on the way to watch school boys play cricket in a park. Not the skills but the emotions and reactions are no different.
During the 2008 edition in Malaysia, Ravindra Jadeja’s prime concern on the eve of India’s first match was about the sports channel that would air the tournament. He needed to tell family and friends back home. Jadeja had freshly straightened his hair, he knew Jamnagar, along with the rest of the world, would be watching.
In 2008, the @imVkohli-led side won India's second #U19CWC title by beating South Africa in the final! 🏆
How many from that squad went on to play for #TeamIndia later on❓
Let us know in the comments ✍️ pic.twitter.com/pTHJI1kFEu
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 4, 2022
Jadeja’s teammate, Jharkhand’s big hitter Saurabh Tiwary too had the Tarzan look. He had his reasons. Tiwary’s state-mate and freshly-crowned World T20 champion captain MS Dhoni too was into that forgettable fashion fad of those times – the blond-dyed straight hair. Once after a game that he had single-handedly won for India, he was asked if he had ever met Dhoni. Tiwary gave a dismissive look and said, “Unka private number bhi hai (I even have his private number).”
Coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid & captained by @PrithviShaw, India U19 were dominant & beat Australia U19 in the Final to win the 4⃣th #U19CWC trophy in 2018. 👏 🏆@ShubmanGill won the Player of the Tournament award. 👌 👍
📸 📸: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/I6hsyRWBQD
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 4, 2022
Over the years, India’s junior teams have had heart-warming stories of boys with big dreams growing up in small towns and villages. For these boys from modest backgrounds, taking a flight, staying in five-star hotels and being on television is a life that was beyond their reach and of those around them.
The under-19 World Cup is a teaser that gives them an idea about what their life could be. There are those who are driven enough to focus on the big leap they need to take to be a senior star and enjoy the perks for the rest of their lives. Others fail under the pressure of making the transition or get distracted and fall by the side.
For players like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara, the under-19 World Cup was just a stepping stone. They always looked the real deal, and the promised lofty heights of world cricket were well within their reach. They held on to their India shirt well into their adult life.
Captain @UnmuktChand9 scored a ton in the Final as India bagged their third #U19CWC title, beating Australia U19 in the 2012 summit clash in Townsville. 🏆 👏
How impressive was India U19 in that Final! 👌 👌
📸 📸: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/VLduDHE8fS
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 4, 2022
However, not everyone getting the early big break becomes a senior team regular. Pacer Jaydev Unadkat made his Test debut in 2010. But the Centurion game showed that he didn’t have it in him to be an international-class pacer.
Then there are those who struggle, hang around on the circuit and never give up. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal did the hard yards. They endured the anonymity of the domestic circuit before getting India colours and playing in front of packed stands. Some like Harshal Patel – an u-19 teammate of Rahul, Mayank and Jaydev – took over a decade to graduate from Boy in Blue to Man in Blue.
And then there are some who look the finished product as juniors, make a smooth transition to the senior level, are instant hits, show the skills and temperament to be great at the game but still prove to be a disappointment.
At the 2008 World Cup, the coach of the Pakistan team had a request. Once the day’s hero was done with the interview, he walked a couple of us to a spindly boy standing by the tent. The boy had a hospital tag on his hand. The coach said the boy was down with dengue and so missed the World Cup. He was sure the 140 kph-plus pacer was gifted and had a bright future.
The coach was partly true about Mohammad Amir.
Send feedback to sandeep.dwivedi@indianexpress.com
Sandeep Dwivedi
National Sports Editor
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