CHENNAI: WHEN Sanika Chalke heaved Monalisa Legodi past the square-leg fielder, the Indian dug out broke out with the loudest cheer at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday evening. The moment the ball touched the ropes, players ran in with flag in hand to hug and celebrate with Chalke and G Trisha in the middle.
Defending champions India had beaten South Africa by nine wickets to win the 2025 ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup. For a bunch of teenagers who have been together several months in their pursuit of one goal, it was a moment of jubilation. Some of them could barely hold their emotions together while a few were overwhelmed with happiness. And behind every player is a story of sacrifice, heartbreaks and tireless hard work in getting to this point.
G Kamalini, the 17-year-old keeper-batter from Tamil Nadu, yelled in Tamil "Cup ah thookitom (We have lifted the trophy)," in delight. Six years ago, she hadn't picked up a cricket bat. She bowled for the first time while her father Gunalan was training her brother during lockdown. It was then Gunalan and Saranya saw a dream. They shifted from a tier two town of Madurai to Chennai for Kamalini's cricket and has been with her in every step of the way. "Cannot express our happiness. For all the struggles went through, this feels like god's gift. She is our gift," an emotional Gunalan told this daily.
Mithila Vinod, a confident Karnataka all-rounder, had made it her dream to play for India even before she was 13. She had her shares of ups and downs but never wavered from her goal. VJ Joshitha, the Kerala pacer, comes from the school of S Sajana and Minnu Mani in Wayanad. Trisha, Shabnam Shakil, and Sonam Yadav who have been there before and know what it takes to win a World Cup. They came back again as better players than they were in 2023 to add another feather to their U19 careers.
Then there is of course the captain — Niki Prasad. The Karnataka star missed the ticket for the 2023 edition when the BCCI chose to play Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh. And yet, here she is, two years on, leading her country to glory on her own terms. “Coming into the tournament, I said we are here to dominate and make sure India stay on top. We are going to create a legacy of winning this tournament and other ICC tournaments for India," Prasad said brimming with confidence.
“I am feeling really happy that I am right here standing as a world champion and helping India to stay on top. It is a special moment, playing in this World Cup and doing this for India. All of the credit goes to our support staff for making this possible and really nurturing the young players.”
Indeed, the support staff has played a crucial part. Head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer, Apurva Desai, Shrabani Debnath and the rest of the support staff have been with the players for several months and have played a significant part in the victory. Nooshin, who was also the head coach in 2023, has followed these players for more than three years now.
And that is where the role of Centre of Excellence and its chief VVS Laxman comes in. The pathway that was laid down in early 2022, with several zonal and high performance camps, were being followed even after the win in 2023. From the high performance camp in May 2024, these players have pushed each other while competing for a spot in the squad of 15.
While a lot was made out of Shafali and Richa playing the 2023 edition, which India won, this victory only reiterates the bench strength and the talent available in women's cricket. It shows that the triumph in South Africa is not one-off. That India are a force to be reckoned with at the U19 level and the future only looks brighter than ever.
As Prasad said, the day this next generation creates a legacy of winning ICC events is not all that far.