The Indian Under-19 team is having a great time in the ongoing ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup in West Indies. They have an unbeaten run so far, winning all their group matches and thrashing Australia in the second semi-final by 96 runs.

With the confidence sky-high, the Boys in Blue are due to take on England in the final on Saturday (February 5).

Before the big game, Yash Dhull and company interacted with batting legend Virat Kohli, who had led India to the U-19 World Cup title in 2008.

Talking about the interaction, India’s U-19 skipper Yash Dhull said it was an amazing feeling to have a conversation with Kohli, who shared his valuable inputs with the young guns.

"Virat Kohli gave us his best wishes for the final. We got confidence from that, the morale increases when a senior player like him talks to you. He told us how we can execute our plans and he told us about the basics of the game, it was a nice interaction with him," Dhull said on the eve of the final.

In the semi-final clash, Yash Dhull smashed 110 while piling up a 204-run stand with Shaik Rasheed, who registered 94 runs off 108 deliveries. India eventually scored 290/5 in their 50 overs, and later defended the target easily by bowling out the Aussies on 194 runs.

"The morale is high, everyone is excited about the game. We will enter the contest with a positive frame of mind. England played a close match against Afghanistan, we will make our own game plans. We will look to carry our form into the final. Our spinners are nice, we will look to execute our plans," said Dhull.

"Everyone is ready to give their 100 per cent, we will enter the final with a positive mindset. We are here to represent the country. We have gotten more experienced, we now know the value of time and how to prepare mentally for big games. Our game has also improved, we have learnt how to deal with pressure," he added.

Earlier, Dhull had contracted COVID-19 and missed out on the group-stage games against Uganda and Ireland.

"It was a tough time, we were mentally strong then and we knew that we will give our 100 per cent when we go back to the field. England plays a dominating brand of cricket and they do not leave attacking cricket even if they lose wickets. We will look to follow our plans and bowl as many dot balls as possible," said Dhull.

"We will see the wicket and we will make our game plan accordingly. We will take the final as just another game. It is a game, we will give our 100 per cent and we are confident that the result will go our way.”

(With ANI inputs)