BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s Shubhang Hedge is set to represent India in the U-19 Cricket World Cup, scheduled in South Africa from January 17. He is part of the 15-member squad, which was picked by the All-India Junior Selection Committee. He received the news Monday morning.
Hedge, who bowls slow left-arm orthodox and bats left-handed, is a regular in the Indian U-19 side, having last played for the side against Afghanistan in Lucknow last month. The all-rounder considers it to be a dream to wear the national colours in such a mega tournament, where India have been dominant. They have won the U-19 title four times in the past, including the last edition, where they remained unbeaten.
“It’s a great feeling to represent the country in such a big tournament. It’s something I dreamt of. I was working towards it,”said Hedge, who is aware about India’s dominance in the tournament. He feels that the team has been playing together for some years now, which should help them. “I know almost all of the players from the current Indian (U-19) team. We’ve been playing together for the last couple of years. We have a very strong team. It’s just a matter of us playing well together,” said Hedge.
The tournament is important for all the players in the competition. Players like Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli grabbed major attention in the earlier editions of the tournament and Hedge can enhance his reputation with a solid performance.
“It is definitely an important step in my career and a good platform too. More than anything, it is going to be a great experience to be playing in such a tournament. You can use these experiences in various other tournaments in the future as well,” added Hedge who is not the only player from the state. Vidyadhar Patil has also made it in the squad.
India are placed in Group A alongside Japan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group will qualify for Super League stage.