India and West Indies have made it to the final of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016 final at Dhaka, scheduled to be played on Sunday. Both India and West Indies have thus far been excellent in the tournament, but India have undoubtedly been a class apart. Under the watchful mentorship of Rahul Dravid India have gone undefeated in their World Cup campaign, with a string of all-round performances that have ensured no blips whatsoever. India have been led well by Ishan Kishan, but it has been their bowling that has set up win after win in the tournament. Live Cricket Scorecard: India vs West Indies, ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Final at Dhaka
Though skipper Kishan has not been in prime form for India, Rishabh Pant has been exceptional. Sarfaraz Khan, Anmolpreet Singh, Armaan Jaffer, and Mahipal Lomror have chipped in as well with the bat at various stages, while Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mayank Dagar, and Lomror have been superb with the ball. However, it should be noted that virtually all of India’s Under-19 players have put in a good performance or two. READ: ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016: India unearths its next generation of superstars
India are historically one of the strongest sides at the Under-19 level, with a number of their future Test cricketers having once been a part of the Under-19 teams. From India’s current senior side itself, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ishant Sharma have all been a part of the Under-19 World Cup. READ: India thrash Sri Lanka by 97 runs to reach final of ICC Under-19 Cricket world Cup
On the other hand, West Indies are largely the underdogs in this match. The controversial final-over victory over Zimbabwe seems to have spurred them on. Captain Shimron Hetymer, Shamar Springer, Keemo Paul, and Gidron Pope have been their standout players so far. However, if they are to go all the way they need to find a way to gel together as a team rather than put in individually brilliant performances. READ: India eye to be first nation to win ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup for 4th time
There is much to play for for both sides. If India manage to win the tournament they will be the first team in history to win the Under-19 World Cup four times. They are currently tied with Australia, having won the title three times each. The senior West Indies cricket team is in the doldrums at the moment, with Twenty International20 International (T20I) captain Darren Sammy going so far as to call West Indies cricket “stagnant.” A win for their youngsters could be just the shot in the arm West Indies cricket needs to go to the next level. READ: Rahul Dravid’s appointment as India A and India Under-19 coach a masterstroke by BCCI
For India, it will be just another World Cup final that is theirs for the taking. For West Indies, it is a chance at redemption and a new hope for the future. India are overwhelming favourites to win the title, but West Indies can never be taken lightly, regardless of which age group they are playing. A thrilling final awaits us.
Squads:
India Under-19: Ishan Kishan (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Sarfaraz Khan, Amandeep Khare, Anmolpreet Singh, Arman Jaffer, Ricky Bhui, Mayank Dagar, Zeeshan Ansari, Mahipal Lomror, Avesh Khan, Shubham Mavi, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Batham.
West Indies Under-19: Shimron Hetmyer (c), Shahid Crooks, Jyd Goolie, Kirstan Kallicharan, Odean Smith, Emmanuel Stewart, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Shamar Springer, Chemar Holder, Ryan John, Keemo Paul, Keacy Carty, Michael Frew, Gidron Pope.
Time: 8:30 IST | 3:00 GMT
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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