Hopeful Indians leave for Lanka

The Indian team for the under-19 World Cup left for Sri Lanka from Chennai on Thursday morning with very high hopes. Roger Binny will be hoping that his boys can restore some of the pride that was lost in the 3-0 thrashing the senior team received at the hands of the Australians. The juniors are brimming with confidence, given the form some of the youngsters have displayed around the domestic cricket this season. Importantly, the cricketers had the advantage of extensive match practice, having played in the CK Nayudu Trophy inter-zonal competition in Chennai just prior to the team's selection.

Yuvraj Singh with his triple hundred effort will be a batsman to watch out for. Added to his batting ability, Yuvraj Singh also bowls very handy left arm spinners. The two players who have experience in this grade of cricket, Mohammad Kaif and Reetinder Singh Sodhi will have to play a leading role in inspiring the rest of the squad. Kaif has performed consistently well batting in the middle order, and Sodhi is another whose credentials as an all rounder are already well established.

However, to expect the Indians to do excessively well might not be realistic. India are up against some strong competition. In the preliminary round, they are grouped with New Zealand, Bangladesh and Holland. New Zealand were the runners-up in the last youth World Cup and will be smarting from their defeat to England in the finals in South Africa in January 1998. Bangladesh and Holland are both trying to break into the big league in cricket and their performance will be keenly watched. Since they are in a position where they have to prove themselves, they will give no quarter. In the World Cup, none will be asked for either.

The camp at the MRF Pace Foundation at Chennai came to an end on Wednesday. The squad practiced together for enough time to be comfortable as a group. The key for the Indian team will be to play together. Individual performances will count for nothing if they do not stick to a definite plan. Coach Binny, with his excellent credentials, knows the importance of approaching the One Day game right. If he can motivate the boys to play as a team and approach every match with a never say die attitude, there is still hope that the World Cup might come to India.