Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the head coach of the India U19 team, expressed confidence in the potential of several players from the 2024 batch to make it to the senior national team.
India suffered a heartbreaking 79-run defeat in the final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 against Australia in Benoni on Sunday, February 11.
However, there were standout performers from India’s young brigade, like captain Uday Saharan, Musheer Khan, Saumy Pandey, Naman Tiwari, and Sachin Dhas, who impressed many with their talent.
Kanitkar believes that these promising talents can make their mark at the senior level in the future. Notably, Arshin Kulkarni and Avanish Rao Aravelly from this U19 squad have already secured IPL 2024 contracts.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar said at the post-match press conference: “Definitely (the future of India is very bright). As a bowling side and as a batting side, there have been stand-out performances by quite a few players. They have shown maturity in tough situations and that bodes well for Indian cricket.”
The U19 World Cup has always given big stars to Indian cricket like Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
And Kanitkar hopes this edition will also not be different. He added, “Every time, there are a couple of guys who step up either in the IPL or the Indian team. I'm sure there will be a couple, but there is great competition back home.”
The Indian coach believes that participating in the Under-19 World Cup offers valuable insights to players regarding the demands of playing at the senior level.
Kanitkar signed off by saying, “For the players great journey, everything is highlighted, these performances matter, they are under the scanner. They get used to these situations. They know what to expect and are prepared when they play higher cricket.”
(With PTI Inputs)
