Under-19 India thrash Australian teenagers to lift U-19 Trophy in Darwin
Under 19 Indian captain Vijay Zol dominated with his bat in the U-19 International Series held in Darwin in July 2013
By Kersi Meher-Homji
India did it again, her third Trophy in a month. They lifted the U-19 International Series after demolishing Australia by eight wickets at Marrara Oval in Darwin on 12 July.
Earlier they had also defeated New Zealand in this tri-nation youth series.
The victory in the Final was more than just a win. It was a cruise for the happy teenagers. They never looked troubled in their run chase and reached Australia’s paltry total of 75 in only the 16th over to finish the Series unbeaten.
They triumphed by 8 wickets with a massive 34.3 overs in hand.
The Aussie players may have spent the previous night watching one of last year’s Australian U-19 representatives, Ashton Agar, bat his way into history in England. But they were unable to use that inspiration to produce any Agar-like heroics with the bat the same day Agar scored 98 in his Test debut against England in the Trent Bridge Test.
In the Final, Deepak Hooda took 3-22 and India reached the target of 76 without a sweat as opening batsman AK Bains made an unbeaten 40.
India’s captain Vijay Zol won Player of the Series award after dominating the tournament with the bat, scoring 284 runs.
Australian fast bowler Matt Fotia was the only player to snare a five-for during the tournament and finished top of the bowling table with 10 scalps at an average of 17.20. Fellow teammate
Jake Doran, only 16, was the best of the Aussie bats throughout the tournament with a spectacular average of 195.00.
The U19 International Series is part of Cricket Australia’s Under-19 high-performance program and has a decorated history of producing the next generation of Australian players including Michael Clarke, James Pattinson and the new Test sensation Agar.
National Talent Manager Greg Chappell has worked in the last three U-19 programs, including identifying and nurturing the talent of Agar and Pat Cummins, and has watched the U-19 Series in Darwin closely.
Chappell said Australian cricket fans had a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
“Doran is the quintessential all-round cricketer for the modern era for he is an accomplished wicket-keeper who also bowls some handy left-arm seamers. He shows enormous potential as a left-hand middle order player in the mould of Michael Hussey,” Chappell said.
“Early signs suggest that talent is not the problem. It will come down to how much is learnt from the experiences; then it is down to commitment, desire and execution,” Chappell said.
Australia is currently preparing for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, to be held in Dubai in February 2014. The next test for the Aussie U-19s ahead of next year’s World Cup will be a U-19 Quadrangular series against India, South Africa and Zimbabwe in India in September.
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