It was a moment of pride for India, watching the next generation conquer the game that has caught the imagination of so many generations of sports fanatics in India.
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India cricket is in safe hands, and every Indian fan would have been comforted seeing a young Prithvi Shaw lift the U-19 World Cup.
Indian cricket has often been plagued by individual brilliance, with over-dependence on a few stars to take them through, but this World Cup was different.
Every player stood up during different times of the tournament to pull the team through. And that would give lot of hear to a cricket romantic in India, who probably grew up watching the team fold after Sachin departed.
Gautam Gambhir too was fascinated by the win and by the performance of the young Indian stars, and came up with a very special tweet for them.
Gambhir included the 2011 World Cup winning photo along with the World cup winning photo of the U-19 team, keeping both wins at par, and congratulating the kids in his own special way.
The final was again a lopsided affair with the Indian team dominating all through.
The Australian openers had strung a good partnership together at the start of their innings, but the Indian bowlers kept a check on the scoring rate and kept picking crucial wickets at regular junctures.
With just 217 to chase, the game was always in India’s hands, and the openers made sure it stayed that way, with a beautifully constructed opening partnership.
Both Kalra and Shaw ensured that India stayed ahead of the Australians, and that no pressure came onto the middle order, in what could have been a tricky chase if the Australians would have managed to get early breakthroughs.
The boys were ecstatic after the win and so they should be. They will be starting a new chapter in Indian cricketing history, and they should be allowed a day off before they delve into the man’s cricketing world.
