KOLKATA: AS skipper Ayush Mhatre lifted India’s sixth U19 World Cup title in Harare on Friday evening, thousand miles away, S Sharath, chairperson of the BCCI Junior Cricket Committee, was cheering for them. Led by Mhatre, India beat England by 100 runs in the final with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashing a sensational 80-ball 175.
Even as the celebrations continued, Sharath and the other selectors were travelling across the country, watching the CK Nayudu U23 Trophy. This win is even more special for the former Tamil Nadu batter as it is his third ICC trophy in the last four years (2022 U19 WC, 2024 Men’s T20 WC, and 2026 U19 WC).
Taking a moment to reflect, Sharath told this daily from Puducherry about that transition after their loss to Pakistan in the U19 Asia Cup final. “That loss gave them the motivation to do well," he said. "They played well then but had one bad game. Winning is important, but we should look at the development of the players, the core group and VVS Laxman for bringing consistency to junior cricket.”
When India went down to Pakistan in the U19 Asia Cup final by 191 runs, Sooryavanshi came under a lot of criticism for his aggressive batting style and the way he got out in the final. On Friday, he was the star plundering the English bowlers. “We were not bothered about all the comments at all, and neither was he. But they were upset with the way they had a bad game. It's quite natural for the players to get upset. So from where they bounce back shows great character. It is very important that we don’t make emotional decisions; we have to be practical in it.”
“A good team is always built by fewer changes. We should not make huge changes; you have to have consistency. We backed almost every one of them. It's very important to give that confidence to the boys, because when you fail, you will succeed in the sport. They learn from every failure and that has helped them succeed. We should not take harsh decisions. You look at Mhatre, a lot of people were not happy with his form but these things happen. He got runs in the semifinal and final and the leadership he brought, wickets and catches he took, all these things matter a lot. We should look beyond numbers, the impact and attitude they show, and the value they bring to the table. All these things are very important in selection,” he added.
In the six months leading up to the U19 World Cup, the India team toured England, Australia and South Africa apart from the U19 Asia Cup. The current crop of players spent enough time together to understand each other as a team and rise to the occasion when the moment came. “It is very important that people like Rahul Dravid and Laxman, who were there in the BCCI CoE, brought matches for junior cricket and India A. It is very important for the development of players. A lot of tours they had, that helped, winning away from the subcontinent gave the belief and the core group was formed,” said the chief selector of the junior team. “Hats off to the BCCI for conducting junior matches — we play U16, U19, U23, one-day, four-day — all of them matter. There is a massive pool of talent, and we could only pick 15 for a World Cup. There are 7-8 guys who missed out and are equally good. It is tough, but we have to look at balance, consistency and these guys work very hard,” he added.
On his third ICC title as selector, Sharath said, “very grateful and blessed (with the win). Thanks to the BCCI, Jay Shah sir and the TNCA for trusting me with one more opportunity. I would also like to thank VVS Laxman, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and my colleagues in the selection committee. We all work together and are grateful to the boys, they played exceptionally well in the final,” he said.
While the celebrations continue across the country, the work has already begun for the next cycle. “We are watching U23 games, we have a lot of work to do to pick the next core group of players. We have to pick good talent for camps and other tournaments. We are looking forward to that,” Sharath signed off.