ICC Under-19 World Cup 2010 in NZ : An eye on India

[Chandan]

Yesterday, the final round robin match between India and SA were abandoned without a ball being bowled. This sent SA in final due to better run rate, pushing Sri Lanka out. Abandoned match helps South Africa make final The final league game of the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in South Africa at the King Edward VII School Ground in Johannesburg, involving the hosts and India, was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The splitting of points meant South Africa nosed ahead of Sri Lanka on the points table and will now be contesting the final, scheduled for January 5, against India, who are unbeaten in the tournament. ----------------------------- Waiting eagerly for the final now.

[champ]

any good allrounders in our side ??

[Feed]

ICC to brief U-19 teams on anti-doping The ICC will brief players participating in this month's under-19 WC in NZ about its anti-doping and anti-corruption codes. More... Monday 4th January 2010 ICC to brief U-19 teams on anti-doping The ICC will brief players participating in this month's under-19 WC in NZ about its anti-doping and anti-corruption codes. "The tournament is seen as an important opportunity for up-and-coming young players to increase their awareness and understanding of the sport's codes, including anti-doping and anti-corruption," the ICC said in a statement. "As a sport, we take our responsibility to keep the game free of taints such as corruption and drugs very seriously so the earlier we can educate players on these issues the better," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said. Lorgat said though corruption is not much of an issue at the under-19 event, the governing body needs to be vigilant. "We have noted a trend in recent years for those involved in illegal betting to 'groom' players from an early age. So it is especially important for us to be vigilant around this event," he said. "Prior to the tournament, players will be given information about the ways in which people may seek to influence them, and about the penalties that can be imposed on those who become involved in inappropriate activities." Players will also be briefed on the ICC anti-doping code. "We hope that these talented young cricketers come away from this event with an appreciation of how difficult it is for drug cheats to get away with doping practices," he said.

[Chandan]

any good allrounders in our side ??

The skipper Ashok Meenaria is a good all rounder, apparently. Indian colts win tri-series in SA JOHANNESBURG: The India under-19 team won the tri-series on points after the summit clash against South Africa was washed out without a ball being bowled. India finished the tournament, also involving Sri Lanka, with 13 points, ahead of South Africa (6) and Sri Lanka (5). The Ashok Menaria-led side defeated Sri Lanka twice and South Africa once in the league matches before its second league game against the home team, prior to the final, was also washed out. Pacer Saurabh Netrawalkar was adjudged ‘player of the series’. Netrawalkar’s best performance came in the second league match against Sri Lanka, where he returned figures of five for 26 to bundle out the opposition for a paltry 52. India will now head to New Zealand to defend its World Cup. The tournament will be held from January 15 to 30.

[Feed]

In-form India face Afghanistan in U-19 WC opener Defending champions India face Afghanistan in the campaign opener of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup to be played in New Zealand on January 15. More... In-form India face Afghanistan in U-19 WC opener January 07, 2010 15:28 IST Defending champions India face Afghanistan in the campaign opener of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup to be played in New Zealand on January 15. India will be favourites to finish atop Group A, while an interesting battle looms for the second qualifying spot with Afghanistan and Hong Kong - both first-time participants at the event - expected to put pressure on an England side struggling for consistent form. India defeated South Africa to clinch the title in Kuala Lumpur in 2008. The Indians come to New Zealand following an impressive campaign in a tri-nation series in the South Africa. India won the series final after the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. India made it through the series unbeaten as it disposed of Sri Lanka twice and South Africa once (with one other match also abandoned). The team is led well by all-rounder Ashok Menaria, a middle-order batsman and an effective right-arm spinner. Other players to watch out for are opener Mayank Agarwal, who scored a magnificent 160 against Australia at Hobart last April and Saurabh Netravalkar. Paceman Netravalkar picked up the man of the series award in South Africa, after taking eight wickets in just three matches. Former champions England (1998) have warmed up for the U19 CWC with a home and away series against Bangladesh in which they were comprehensively beaten 7-3. Afghanistan will compete in an U-19 CWC for the first time and the team will act as trailblazers for their men's side which is aiming to qualify for the senior event in 2015. Afghanistan qualified for the event by finishing second to Ireland in the global qualifying tournament in Toronto and lost only to Canada and Ireland in nine matches. Hong Kong follows Afghanistan into its first U-19 CWC. These two teams have already had a good chance to get to know each other during a rigorous qualifying campaign. Group A squads India: Ashok Menaria (captain), Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Harmeet Singh, Harpreet Singh, Gaurav Jathar, Manan Sharma, Saurabh Netravalkar, Harshal Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Akshath Reddy, Sandeep Sharma, Sufiyan Shaikh, Jaydev Unadkad, Zahid Ali. England: Azeem Rafiq (captain), James Vince, Adam Ball, Michael Bates, Paul Best, Danny Briggs, Nathan Buck, Jos Buttler, Chris Dent, Matthew Dunn, Ateeq Javid, Jack Manuel, David Payne, Joe Root, Ben Stokes. Afghanistan: Shir Mohammad Shirzai (captain), Aftab Alam, Afsar Khan, Anwar Anwari, Ayub Khan, Hamza Hotak, Hashmat Shaidi, Izat Dawlatzai, Javed Ahmadi, Khushal Rasooli, M.S. Aminzai, Murad Ali, Noor-ul-Haq, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zakiullah Zaki. Hong Kong: Jamie Atkinson (captain), Aditya Kanthan, Aizaz Khan, Ashish Gadhia, Asif Khan, Harmeet Singh, Irfan Ahmed, Niaz Ali, Nizakat Khan, Mark Chapman, Max Tucker, Alex Smith, Shakeel Haq, Vikash Vaswani, Waqas Barkat.

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New India’s next stars Since India’s victory in 2000, under-19 cricket has assumed massive significance in the country. Until then the youth World Cup, as it was called, was a jolly mad scramble for young batsmen and bowlers to get a passport in order to make their first foreign trip. They barely received an allowance, forget about being paid to play. It was a lot of fun, but counted for little. India's under-19 cricket team heads out this week to defend its World Cup title. Most of its players already hold multi-year contracts. More... India's under-19 cricket team heads out this week to defend its World Cup title. Most of its players already hold multi-year contracts. New India’s next stars Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times January 09, 2010 Receiving incoming calls on your mobile phone cost more than Rs 10 a minute. Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor had not heard of size zero. The financial capital was still widely called Bombay and its stock exchange ended the year down 26 per cent, burdened by underperforming technology, media and telecom sectors. Russell Crowe won an Oscar despite being the first gladiator with an Aussie accent and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was India’s poet prime minister. And in cricket news, the year 2000 was when Hansie Cronje confessed to match-fixing, Courtney Walsh became the highest Test wicket-taker, Sourav Ganguly was India's captain. Oh, and India won the under-19 World Cup and the world heard the name Yuvraj Singh for the first time. A cricket website, itself a novelty at the time, called Yuvraj Singh “the cleanest striker of a cricket ball since Sachin Tendulkar.” More intriguingly, the youngster from Chandigarh, once asked a reporter who was smoking, “Why do you smoke? Do you get a high? Is it like alcohol?” A decade later, Yuvraj is the symbol of all things successful in cricket, and is now the one answering the questions. He is India’s powerhouse in 50-over cricket, the man who hit six sixes in an over of Twenty20 cricket — that can't be topped — and well, plays Tests too. Life as he now knows it began for Yuvraj when he was the star of the first Indian team to win an under-19 World Cup. Context is king Since India’s victory in 2000, under-19 cricket has assumed massive significance in the country. Until then the youth World Cup, as it was called, was a jolly mad scramble for young batsmen and bowlers to get a passport in order to make their first foreign trip. They barely received an allowance, forget about being paid to play. It was a lot of fun, but counted for little. What mattered then was playing Ranji Trophy for your state, toiling away with the ageing veterans till one of them called it a day and you got your time in the sun. Now, the under-19s are a chance for cricketers to bypass the long grind. Get noticed here, and you could be fast-tracked into academies, where better facilities and coaching kick-start your chances of climbing faster. The other catalyst is the Indian Premier League. Thanks to the stipulation that each squad must have four cricketers younger than 22 in their ranks, talent scouts and coaches are looking closely at every cricketer who makes his state junior squad. And those who make it to the Indian junior team? They’re already earmarked for bigger things. A beginning of sorts Ashok Meenaria, from a family of priests in Udaipur, Rajasthan, does not behave like a newcomer to the spotlight. The right-hand batsman who bowls tidy left-arm spin is leading India in their campaign to defend the title won in Kuala Lumpur in 2008. “There is no question of pressure,” he says. “We only carry a lot of confidence into the tournament.” And no, he’s not shy about talking up his team. “You don’t need to do a lot with this bunch. When the players are good, it doesn’t take time to become a champion side.” Welcome to the world of today’s under-19 cricketers. Industry experts suggest that 80 to 90 per cent of today’s under-19 cricketers have agents actively pushing their cause and most have contracts with leading equipment manufacturers. “We have multi-year contracts with several India under-19 players,” said an industry expert who works with a leading sports goods and apparel manufacturer. “Performance and success are the standard filters we look at when signing on a star. But at the under-19 level you have to look at many things. If you look at TV shows like MTV Roadies you’ll get an idea of the section of youth that our young players represent — confident, irreverent and brash. The way we look at it, a young cricketer’s values are a subset of the values of the premier Indian team of the time.” An agent who represents more than 20 cricketers nationally at varying levels, confirmed that youngsters were now hot property. “The entry level has changed. If you don’t sign a player when he plays under-19 cricket for his state, as an agent, you’ve missed the boat.” The agent who did not want to be named as it might impact his clients, added. “These days the approach is to try and sign as many players before they’re noticed. Later, if even one makes it to the India team, you’re set.” Don’t ask me, I just play When Dav Whatmore, previously Sri Lanka’s coach, took over as director of the Board’s National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, one of the things he stressed on was the need to have training modules for young cricketers that went beyond the game itself. Dealing with the media, investment planning and career path mapping were among topics to be addressed, but before anything was implemented Whatmore moved on. Ask any young cricketer, and even a few national team players, and the need is obvious. “I haven’t actually read the contract. My manager handles all that,” an under-19 player said when asked what sort of deals he had bagged. “If I have any doubt I can always ask my seniors.” The problem is, in a lot of cases, the contracts have long since been signed before a player actually finds out what he has committed to. Tell me it isn’t so If the revolution is now in full swing, it wasn’t always so. In 1992, Rahul Dravid was captain of the under-19 team that played a series against New Zealand. Not one of Dravid’s 14 squad mates made it to the national team. S Sharath went furthest, representing Tamil Nadu for many years in the Ranji Trophy. Most languished in state teams for a few years before giving up the game. One of them, promising batsman Rambabu Pal, was not even that lucky, and ended up taking his life, after repeated rejection from his home state. Showtime The class of 2010 is under more pressure than ever before. For most of them, cricket is already the chosen career. There’s little to fall back on in terms of a professional qualification and most will have no time to develop skills that sell in the real world. They’ve already got buzzing Facebook pages, clothing sponsors, the latest mobile phones, and now- mandatory gel-enhanced spiky hair. “They are all very fashionable boys. If they don’t do well I might have to give them haircuts,” says Chandrakant Pandit, the coach of the team headed to New Zealand. What he really means is that cricket will administer a fitting life lesson to these fresh-faced hopefuls if things don’t go well on the field. Watch out for MAYANK AGARWAL (18) Right-hand batsman, Bangalore. Coaches in Bangalore have rarely been as excited. Not too many young batsmen have Agarwal's range of strokes. SAURABH NETRAVALKAR (18) Left-arm medium-pacer, Mumbai. Tall left-armer who is already being noticed. Has a reputation for being disciplined and raising his game on the big stage. HARMEET SINGH (17) Left-arm spinner, Mumbai. Footballer turned left-arm spinner who was coached by legend Padmakar Shivalkar. He's already made his Ranji debut for Mumbai. K.L. RAHUL (17) Right-hand batsman, Bangalore. Rahul has a penchant for batting in a technically correct manner. Need we say more? ASHOK MEENARIA (19) Captain, right-hand batsman, Udaipur. Hungry for big scores, left-arm spinner, picked to lead from the front. For someone so young he knows his game well.

[rkt.india]

ASHOK MEENARIA (19) Captain, right-hand batsman, Udaipur. Hungry for big scores, left-arm spinner, picked to lead from the front. For someone so young he knows his game well.

i think he is a leg spinner and they forgot one more batsman named Manpreet Singh to write in this coloumn

[I_India]

Dude did you have to quote OP's whole post?

[achilles]

What an awesome article :two_thumbs_up:

[Sooda]

These guys are becoming like football stars - young and spoilt. People like Dravid had the 'life skills' they are referring to there- sure he made it to the team a bit later in life, but the maturity would have helped.

[Sooda]

'Something we can learn from Sri lanka' : "These different squads are provided with a similar coaching staff and facilities as the senior squad and given enough exposure by way of tours. In addition they also receive training in IT (computer) and English, public speaking, etiquette, financial management, motivation etc so that they develop other skills also and gain employment in different fields after their playing career."

[I_India]

We want some phast bowlers to come through.

[kabira]

^I am tired of watching.

[Andy]

^I am tired of watching.

:hysterical:

[King Tendulkar]

^I am tired of watching.

Yep agree

[Shane]

Need to keep an eye on the Mumbai Spinner HARMEET SINGH

[Sachinism]

We've always have some good players come along from the U19 teams. Hopefully this year there are more

[Lord]

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2010 in NZ : An eye on India can u guys tell me something about Menaria?how did he become captain?does he have great catptaincy abilities?his List A stats are nothin impressive,batting av. of 15 n bowl avg. of 54.(although they r only 4 games)

[Sir john]

India road to final of u19 world cup. India wins today beat USA comfortably.

[Zelig]

:marchmellow: