A formidable India U-19 team coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid start as overwhelming favourites against minnows Ireland in their opening Group D league match of the ICC U-19 World Cup, here on Thursday.
Being three-time champions, the tournament has always helped India unearth raw talent who have gone on to become big stars in the future. Whether it is Yuvraj Singh or India's current No. 1 batsman Virat Kohli, India have been lucky in terms of tapping quality talent from the tournament.
The strength of the Indian team can be gauged by the fact that five of their players have already played first-class cricket and one has played T20 cricket for the senior state team.
left-handed opener Risabh Pant is a player who would be closely watched by the IPl teams before they go into auction on February 6. Risabh, who has already played for Delhi, has done well during the U-19 season for India and his performance will be vital to the team's chances in the tournament.
Skipper Ishan Kishan has also played first-class cricket for Jharkhand and recently shared the dressing room with India limited-over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni while playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Pacer Avesh Khan and batsman Ricky Bhui have also played the last edition of the tournament, which gives them an upperhand over their competitors.
Bangladesh stun SA
Host Bangladesh gave the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 a momentous start with a 43-run victory over defending champion South Africa in the opening Group A match, here on Wednesday.
Electing to bat on a slow pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here, Bangladesh lost wickets just when the batsmen appeared to have settled down and was restricted to 240/7.
Nazmul Hossain hit 73 off 82 balls to boost the total after useful contributions from Pinak Ghosh (43) and Joyraz Sheik (46).
The target proved too tough for SA, which was bowled out for 197 in the penultimate over despite a defiant 100 from liam Smith.