The past few months have been quite incredible for young Prithvi Shaw. Three centuries and a half-century for Mumbai in his first full season in the Ranji Trophy is a remarkable return for the 18-year-old. And to cap it off, Shaw was named captain of Team India at the ICC U-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand from January 13 to February 3.
For Shaw, it’s been a whirlwind journey in cricket ever since his 546 in the Harris Shield in 2013. The then 14-year-old was earmarked for bigger things ever since and he has steadily climbed the ladder.
“It’s a great opportunity and as captain I want to take the whole team with me. Everyone in the team knows his role. I want to win the World Cup,” Shaw had said, before the team’s departure to the World Cup.
Speaking to ICC Media, coach Rahul Dravid said how exciting it is for everyone to see a talent like Shaw come through the system. And Shaw himself talks about the challenges that lie ahead for him.
Watch the full video here:
Shaw said his team has prepared well under the guidance of Rahul Dravid and the goal is to return home with the trophy.
The tournament officially got underway at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch with an impressive ceremony showcasing New Zealand’s culture.
Warm-up matches will be held from Monday while the tournament proper gets underway on January 13 with matches spread across seven venues in the cities of Christchurch, Queenstown, Tauranga and Whangarei.
Shaw said, “We’ve been here a week now, played a couple of games. Everything has gone well, the preparation of the team has been good. Our goal is obviously to win the World Cup but at the same time we are looking forward to our first game (against Australia on January 13), and let’s see how the process goes.”
The India U-19 team:
Prithvi Shaw (Captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Manjot Kalra, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Aryan Juyal (wicket-keeper), Harvik Desai (wicket-keeper), Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ishan Porel, Arshdeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Shiva Singh, Pankaj Yadav.
India Under-19 group stage fixtures:
Janauary 14: India U-19 v Australia U-19
Janauary 16: India U-19 v Papua New Guinea U-19
Janauary 19: India U-19 v Zimbabwe U-19
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