New Delhi, Dec 13
With a commanding 234-run victory over UAE in their opening game of the Men’s U19 Asia Cup, India have set the tone for their final build-up to next year’s World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The last time India played in the U19 Men’s World Cup, they finished runners-up to Australia in 2024. This time, the Ayush Mhatre-led side will be keen to go one step further and get the side an unprecedented sixth title.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer, who recently worked with the current players in the India A team in the U19 Challenger Trophy and the India B side during the tri-series involving Afghanistan, has backed the team to overcome all challenges and emerge successful in their quest to glory.

“Obviously, they are very, very talented. There is no doubt about it. Then with Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi coming back because they were not there in the challengers and triangular series, it makes for a good look.”

“I worked with quite a few boys like Vihaan Malhotra and they are very, very talented and have got a lot of potential. It's just about delivering and what BCCI, VVS Laxman and his team has done really well is they have kept them together for a very long time because they have been to England and Australia and played a lot of matches.”

“That gelling now is very good among the players who know themselves very well due to playing together for a long time. So, I feel that they are ready for these challenges ahead, which is this Asia Cup and the World Cup, something which we haven't won for a while now,” said Jaffer in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

At the same time, Jaffer also noted that the India U19 men’s batches after 2020 have failed to produce players who would go on to enter the senior team. “At the end of the day, what I have noticed is that after the 2018 batch of Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Prithvi Shaw and 2020 batch of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel and Ravi Bishnoi, there aren’t any under 19 players who have played for India.”

“So, that transition hasn't happened for the last one or two batches and that is something I feel needs to happen. Somebody like Vaibhav, Ayush Mhatre, Abhigyan Kundu, Vihaan Malhotra, Harvansh Singh - there are a lot of very talented players and we want them to get to the next level. That is probably the biggest challenge now - the under 19 boys coming and performing at the highest level, something that has not happened with regards to the last one or two batches.”

“That is the only concern that I have got as it is very important that the under 19 boys transition themselves to international cricket and to IPL also. I mean, IPL has now become such an important tournament. So, whether they get into their state teams as easily as they should be is also a question mark. But I feel that transition needs to happen. That shows the young talent is coming and challenging the senior players and that is going to be the biggest task, in my opinion,” he explained.

Jaffer, who won Ranji Trophy multiple times with Mumbai and Vidarbha, is among the few coaches to have worked with both Under-19 and senior teams. Asked about the difference in coaching the two levels, he said, “Well, obviously, they are work in progress. So, because this is age group cricket, sometimes I feel they keep on playing with the same kind of players. They come through U14, U16 and U19, so they are literally playing with the same bunch of players and know the opposition as well.”

“So, sometimes that creates a little bit of a comfort zone among the players. But as soon as you step out of under 19, then it's a big leap because there is no age group and you are into the men's world and the challenge lies in that regard. Sometimes the under 19 boys are used to a certain environment. But as soon as you play against the international teams, you kind of challenge yourself.”

Though India has historical dominance at the U19 level, it hasn’t translated into trophies of late. India last won an U19 Asia Cup in 2021, and were runners-up in last year’s competition to two-time winners Bangladesh. “Without a doubt, I feel the Indian team is a lot of steps ahead of the other international teams. We are very talented, and the challenge will be to get the exact kind of result that we need,” added Jaffer.

What also boosts India’s quest to win the World Cup is Mhatre coming on the back of a good showing for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy league games, though he didn’t have a memorable outing at The ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday. Suryavanshi, meanwhile, dazzled with 171 against UAE, and is coming on the back of some blistering knocks for Bihar and India A. Jaffer believes the duo’s exposure to senior cricket will greatly benefit the India U19 side.

“It is very important because Vaibhav has played for Bihar and has done well, so as Ayush Mhatre, who has played for Mumbai, played Ranji Trophy and India A games, and has done well. But the only thing is for them to not get complacent. Sometimes when you play at a higher level and then you come down, sometimes you take things a little easy, which I am sure that won't happen because they are playing quite a few matches.”

“With the World Cup being a World Cup, they will obviously have their tasks cut out. But I just feel it always helps when the under 19 players play at the highest level – not just the Indian team. but Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy because sometimes that mentality is you are only playing with your age group – like under 19 and under 16 guys are playing against each other.”

“But when you get out of that age group and play with the men, your mentality changes. You are not thinking about the age or anything else, as it's between bat and ball. So that experience, whether it's with Ayush, Vaibhav or some other players who have played Ranji Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy, will always help them and make this Indian team stronger,” he concluded.

Future looks bright for ‘very, very talented’ India U19 men’s ahead of next year’s World Cup