Before India’s Under-19 players took the flight back to Mumbai from Auckland, skipper Prithvi Shaw had a brief chat with “The Indian Express” about fulfilling his dream of winning a World Cup, the impact Rahul Dravid had on the team and why he had the gut feeling about the team going all the way. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

Talking about taking some sleep after winning the U-19 World Cup, Shaw said, “It was a long day and long night. Who wants to sleep after winning the World Cup. We all waited for this. I didn’t even look at my phone (after the win) and only saw all the congratulatory messages in the morning. I tried to get in touch with my father but his phone was switched off. I am sure it was a busy day for him too.”

Also read: BCCI announced huge prize moeny for the U-19 players

Describing the importance of the dominating victory against the Australians in the final, Prithvi said, “It is a big thing for me and for each and everyone who is part of this squad. One doesn’t experience such days often. I’m really happy about the way we played cricket during the tournament. Be it bowling, batting or fielding, we had such talented players that it made the captain’s job easy.”

When asked about the feeling of lifting the cup, the youngster said that it was the best feeling he ever had in his life. Winning the World Cup for the country has been a dream and he had achieved it at the Under-19 level. he also described that life and the game of cricket will throw new challenges at the player junior players now and they are ready to overcome them.

Shaw also described that captaincy has made him more responsible both on and off the field, he said, “I really enjoyed captaining this bunch of lads and they really supported me to throughout this journey. When you are leading the side, one has to be more focused. I have captained my state as well my school teams.”

Also read: Dravid wished for better future of the youngsters

The young skipper also mentioned how much importance Rahul Dravid bring on the table in the dressing room, he said, “He is a legend but he created such an environment that we could talk to him like a friend. He is such a simple man. The way he carries himself is remarkable. After the win, he told us to remain grounded. On a personal level, Dravid told me that an opener’s contribution is key because it will help achieve a big target or help set a big target. So your wicket is important in all formats.”

Prithvi concluded by explaining his jersey number 100, he said, “I like the number. In Hindi (sau) it sounds like my surname Shaw.”