Mount Maunganui (New Zealand): India under-19 cricket captain Prithvi Shaw said Friday that the terrific form of his fast bowlers will give them an edge when they take on Australia in pursuit of a record fourth ICC World Cup title, here Saturday.
India and Australia are the two most successful teams in the history of the tournament having won the coveted trophy thrice each. The Rahul Dravid-coached side can create history if they win Saturday.
“Whenever the team’s needed them, they (fast bowlers) have provided the breakthroughs. They’re ready whenever I ask them to bowl. They’ve good intensity and fitness,” Shaw said on the eve of the big match.
“All of them – Kamlesh (Nagarkoti), (Ishan) Porel, (Shivam) Mavi have great attitude in the field. We’re all really pumped up when our fast bowlers do well,” he added.
Shaw, however, is not bothered by the fact that the Indian batting line-up has not been tested enough, with the openers getting solid starts in all but one of five matches, including two century partnerships. No. 3 batsman Shubman Gill has been in scintillating form, aggregating 341 runs so far.
“I have confidence that even if we get one partnership, we can take charge of the match and take the score to 250-300,” Shaw asserted. “If you look at our match against Australia too, we put up a good total, even though we lost a couple of wickets after an early partnership. The middle order also controlled the innings well,” he added.
Touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Shaw himself has been in fine form, managing 232 runs in four innings. “I can’t actually describe myself but I think so far I have done good in the tournament,” Shaw said about his own performance.
Australia captain Jason Sangha, on the other hand, said his team would be looking to seize the initiative against India. He stated that the 100-run loss to India earlier in the tournament is a thing of the past and the final is an altogether new game.
“The 100-run loss does not bother me at all. A grand final is a different contest. It’s a different pitch, different nerves. They’ve played good cricket but if we get a couple of early wickets and put pressure on their players, anything can happen,” Sangha pointed out.
Press Trust of India