Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their investment in U-19 cricket which has consistently shone at the World Cups. However, India have reached the final of the ongoing Under-19 World Cup and will face England in the summit clash on Saturday.
While appreciating their efforts in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said: “If we talk about this team’s accomplishment, two or three things come to the fore. First, how much has the BCCI invested in this. You remember earlier Rahul Dravid used to be with this team – Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill. Now VVS Laxman is there with this team.”
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Aakash Chopra elaborated: “I mean where do the under-19 players get the chance to spend the time with such legends. So BCCI is taking under-19 cricket as seriously as it takes any other cricket, which is phenomenal. They started the investment early – catch them young, watch them grow, they have done this job very well.”
Rahul Dravid, who is now the Indian senior team’s head coach, was the one who worked with the junior side’s title-winning run in 2018 as the head coach as well. Meanwhile, VVSLaxman, the current NCA (National Cricket Academy) head, is mentoring the Indian Under-19 team at the ongoing World Cup as well.
Aakash Chopra again explained: “Second, the last few times our boys used to have a lot of experience of first-class cricket because they used to get fast-tracked. It is not the case this time. COVID has been there for the last two years, only an odd player has played List A cricket, no one has played first-class. Now it’s like even-stevens.”
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“Third, there was a COVID outbreak as well, five players got it, then they came back and played, it’s not easy. They have done this job despite that. So well done and the expectation is that they defeat England in the final and lift the trophy,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
