ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: Ryan Harris Feels India's Fast Bowling Will be a Challenge in Finals

Australia’s Under-19 Head Coach and former Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris feel the Indian fast bowlers would be a threat to face in the finals of the U-19 World Cup 2018.

The Indian under-19 team has reached the final of the 2018 under-19 World Cup and will challenge Australia for their fourth title on 3^rd February.

Australia reached the final of the tournament by defeating Afghanistan in the semi-final while on the other hand, India reached the final by beating their arch-rivals Pakistan by a huge margin of 203 runs.

Both India and Australia have won three Under-19 titles each in the past and will be vying for the fourth World Cup. Harris who had motivated the Australian team after a drubbing in their first match of the tournament against the Indians, has praised the Indian fast bowling department which is led by Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, both of whom bowl at an average speed of 145km/h.

This situation in the young Indian side is new to everyone, as India is known to produce batsmen and spinner, but this crop of fast bowlers has brought excitement in Indian cricket.

Ryan Harris is no different and said Indian fast bowler would pose a challenge for their side. Harris said,

“It is great to be talking about India and not discussing spin. They have plenty of pace and beautiful actions. Our players (Australia) would not have faced too many bowlers that are capable of reaching a speed of around 140kmph. It is a great challenge for our team,” 

Harris feels one advantage that Australians have over India is they have encountered challenges on their route to the final,

“We had to fight to get into the final and battle really hard against England. We have been under the pump and that is what we will be hoping to do to India. We are aware India have not been tested yet. They have been playing some very good cricket, but if we can put pressure on them then it will be interesting to see how they react,”

Harris also added they would look for early wickets in and put pressure on the middle order and lower order,

“Our job is to get through to their top order quickly and put pressure on the middle or lower order — something they have not yet experienced.” 

He also said the hammering in the first match would not have any effect on their side, 

“No, not really. It was three weeks ago. The only positive is that we now know what India have got and it’s up to us to change that around this time,”

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