It has been three days since India beat Bangladesh in the quarter-finals of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup on its Republic Day. The Indian colts now get ready to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in what promises to be an enthralling and high-octane affair at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Tuesday.
Within the span of these three days, six youngsters from the Indian squad have struck gold in the IPL auction frenzy which culminated on Sunday.
Skipper Prithvi Shaw, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Manjot Kalra have all found takers in the billion-dollar IPL. Express pacer Nagarkoti landed the biggest cash windfall amongst his team-mates after he was snapped up for £357,000 (Dh1.8m) by Kolkata Knight Riders.
It is easy for the youngsters to have their heads turned after raking in the moolah at such an early age but the presence of the legendary Rahul Dravid in the dressing room as coach and mentor had been vital in keeping their feet grounded.
Dravid, no stranger to the madness of the money-laden IPL, is doing his part in ensuring that the focus of the boys remains steady on the clash against Pakistan.
Nagarkoti and Shaw both fetched handsome sums in the IPL auction.
“The auction is not something the boys can control. One or two auctions won’t really have a long-term impact on their careers. There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn’t come very often,” he had said in an interview to Cricinfo ahead of the quarter-final tie.
With the auction now over, Tuesday’s clash is all that matters for the newly minted youngsters like Nagarkoti and Gill.
Speaking to reporters after the IPL auction, Gill said: “It feels very good to get a chance, but it’s important to live in the present and focus on the India-Pakistan semi-final.”
“Dravid sir had a meeting with us. He told us, IPL auction will keep happening every year. Whether you get picked or no, don’t worry about that. Just focus on the Under-19 World Cup because we won’t have this opportunity again in our lives,” Nagarkoti echoed Gill’s sentiments.
With India-Pakistan clashes becoming such a rarity in international cricket, youngsters from both sets of teams will have the weight of their respective countrymen behind them when they line up at the Hagley Oval.
It is India who hold the edge when it comes to previous meetings between the two. Out of the 21 previous clashes, India has prevailed in 12 with Pakistan winning eight while one match ended in a no-result.
Past records however, will have no bearing on the tie as two of cricket’s greatest rivals meet. With both sides in great form, there will be no clear favourites for the clash but a tense and close-fought affair is almost guaranteed.
