All you need to know about India's squad for the ICC U-19 World Cup
Despite having a strong team, India came up short in the 2014 editionThe Indian colts will play their first match of the Under-19 World Cup against Australia on January 28 in Mirpur. India have been placed in Group D along with Australia, New Zealand and Nepal. While conceding that they have been placed in a tough group, coach Rahul Dravid remained reasonably optimistic about their chances in the tournament.Dravid had said, "I think we've got a very good balanced side, especially for the conditions. We were looking for different kinds of skill sets. The fast bowlers have been quite exceptional in both the tournaments which has been a really good sign. We've got a couple of good spinners coming through as well and a lot of all-rounders who can chip in especially in the spin-bowling department.”Let us take a detailed look at the India U-19 squad for the World Cup and see if they have enough firepower to do well in the tournament.
#4 Bowlers
In the bowling department, India have chosen to go in with four pacers and three spinners. The pace department led by Avesh Khan also comprises Shubham Mavi, Khaleel Ahmed and Rahul Batham.
Avesh Khan shot to fame after his surreal match-winning spell of 6-3-4-4 against the Bangladesh U-19 side in November, last year. Khan who has raw and exciting pace will be the spearhead of the Indian attack in the U-19 World Cup.
The pacers will be complimented by the left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar and leg-spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Mahipal Lomror. Having picked up 11 wickets from his 6 matches for India Under-19, which includes a sublime spell of 5 for 37 against Afghanistan U-19 last November, Ansari’s leg-spin will hold the key to India’s success in the tournament.
Dagar will be another key bowler as he has been in great form of late. Dagar and Khaleel Ahmed were jointly the highest wicket-takers in the tri-series in Sri Lanka last year as they finished with 7 wickets each from 2 matches.