Sourav Ganguly terms the Under-19 World Cup triumph as ‘special’ - Cricket News Update
Former Indian captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sourav-Chandidas-Ganguly-c90746, complimented the Indian Under-19 team for clinching their third World Cup title by defeating the defending champions Australia in the final.
Ganguly termed the victory as ‘special’ since it came on the Australian soil, and expressed his confidence that India has a pool of young talent to serve Indian cricket for years to come.
"It's a fabulous achievement. Winning a World Cup in Australia is a special achievement. So on that point of view, congratulations to the Under-19 boys. Unmukt Chand and his team, they played fabulously," he said.
After sending the hosts into bat, the Indians restricted an imposing Australian lineup to just 225 for 8 and chased down the target with six wickets to spare.
The 40-year-old lauded Captain Unmukt Chand for his gritty innings, which scripted one of India’s most memorable overseas wins. India were 97 for 4 when Chand (111*) alongside Smit http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Huzefa-Mohammed-Patel-c63657 (62*) piled up a match-winning 130-run partnership for the fifth-wicket.
Chand’s ability to rise on the big occasion earned him his third century in successive finals. The 19-year-old had earlier scored match-winning centuries during the Quadrangular Under-19 (112*) and Asia Cup (121) finals.
Ganguly said that the Under-19 has proved to be a useful base for the Indian cricket, and is hopeful that the road is wide open for the youngsters to usher their careers at the international stage. The veteran however, feels that it would still take a few years for them to develop into world-class players.
"It is still early days. Indian cricket is always strong. But Under-19 is the base from which future generation players are developed. You see http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737, three or four years ago, he was the Under-19 captain who won the World Cup also. It is the base from which future players come in," the former captain told reporters.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, to have clinched the title for the third time. They first won it under Muhammad Kaif in 2000 before Kohli led them to their second triumph in 2008 - both players went on to represent India at international level.
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