New Delhi, Dec 13 (LatestNewsX) – India kicked off the Men’s U19 Asia Cup with a massive 234‑run triumph over the UAE, giving the team a strong footing as they fine‑tune for next year’s World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
After finishing as runners‑up to Australia at the previous U19 World Cup in 2024, India’s squad under Ayush Mhatre is now driven to push ahead and clinch a record‑setting sixth title.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer, who has recently worked with the India A side in the U19 Challenger Trophy and with India B during the tri‑series against Afghanistan, voiced his belief that the side can rise above every challenge and achieve glory.
> “Obviously, they are very, very talented. There is no doubt about it. Then with Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi coming back because they were not there in the challengers and triangular series, it makes for a good look.”
> “I worked with quite a few boys like Vihaan Malhotra and they are very, very talented and have got a lot of potential. It’s just about delivering and what BCCI, VVS Laxman and his team has done really well is they have kept them together for a very long time because they have been to England and Australia and played a lot of matches.”
> “That gelling now is very good among the players who know themselves very well due to playing together for a long time. So, I feel that they are ready for these challenges ahead, which is this Asia Cup and the World Cup, something which we haven’t won for a while now,” Jaffer told LatestNewsX in an exclusive chat.
Jaffer also highlighted that India’s U19 batches post‑2020 have struggled to produce senior‑team regulars. “At the end of the day, what I have noticed is that after the 2018 batch of Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Prithvi Shaw and the 2020 batch of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel and Ravi Bishnoi, there aren’t any under‑19 players who have played for India,” he said.
“So, that transition hasn’t happened for the last one or two batches and that is something I feel needs to happen. Somebody like Vaibhav, Ayush Mhatre, Abhigyan Kundu, Vihaan Malhotra, Harvansh Singh – there are a lot of very talented players and we want them to get to the next level. That is probably the biggest challenge now – the under‑19 boys coming and performing at the highest level, something that has not happened with regards to the last one or two batches.”
> “That is the only concern that I have got as it is very important that the under‑19 boys transition themselves to international cricket and to IPL also. I mean, IPL has now become such an important tournament. So, whether they get into their state teams as easily as they should be is also a question mark. But I feel that transition needs to happen. That shows the young talent is coming and challenging the senior players and that is going to be the biggest task, in my opinion,” he explained.
Jaffer, a multiple‑time Ranji Trophy winner with Mumbai and Vidarbha, is one of the few coaches who has spanned both youth and senior levels. When asked about the coaching differences, he noted, “Well, obviously, they are work in progress. So, because this is age‑group cricket, sometimes I feel they keep on playing with the same kind of players. They come through U14, U16 and U19, so they are literally playing with the same bunch of players and know the opposition as well.”
> “So, sometimes that creates a little bit of a comfort zone among the players. But as soon as you step out of under‑19, then it’s a big leap because there is no age group and you are into the men’s world and the challenge lies in that regard. Sometimes the under‑19 boys are used to a certain environment. But as soon as you play against the international teams, you kind of challenge yourself.”
India’s dominance at the U19 level has not always translated into trophies lately. The last time they lifted the Asia Cup was in 2021, with last year’s tournament ending as a runner‑up to Bangladesh, who clinched their second title. “Without a doubt, I feel the Indian team is a lot of steps ahead of the other international teams. We are very talented, and the challenge will be to get the exact kind of result that we need,” Jaffer added.
The pairing of Mhatre and Suryavanshi further fuels India’s World Cup aspirations. Mhatre has delivered a strong performance for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, though he had a quiet outing at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday. Suryavanshi smashed 171 against the UAE and has been striking for Bihar and India A. Jaffer believes that their exposure at senior level will be invaluable.
> “It is very important because Vaibhav has played for Bihar and has done well, so as Ayush Mhatre, who has played for Mumbai, played Ranji Trophy and India A games, and has done well. But the only thing is for them to not get complacent. Sometimes when you play at a higher level and then you come down, sometimes you take things a little easy, which I am sure that won’t happen because they are playing quite a few matches.”
> “With the World Cup being a World Cup, they will obviously have their tasks cut out. But I just feel it always helps when the under‑19 players play at the highest level – not just the Indian team. but Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy because sometimes that mentality is you are only playing with your age group – like under‑19 and under‑16 guys are playing against each other.”
> “But when you get out of that age group and play with the men, your mentality changes. You are not thinking about the age or anything else, as it’s between bat and ball. So that experience, whether it’s with Ayush, Vaibhav or some other players who have played Ranji Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy, will always help them and make this Indian team stronger,” he concluded.
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