Virat Kohli Compares 2008 U-19 World Cup-Winning Team With Current Under-19 Team

Expressing his delight over the Indian Under-19 team’s march to the final of the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand, India skipper Virat Kohli said the current lot is better than the one which won the title under his captaincy in 2008.

Prithvi Shaw & Co. have looked almost unstoppable in the ongoing tournament and are just one step away from clinching the title. In their first game of the tournament, India thrashed Australia by 100 runs. In the following two games, they dismantled Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe by 10 wickets. Bangladesh were also blown away by the team as the Prithvi Shaw-led side won the game by 131 runs.

Pakistan too suffered the safe fate in the semifinal. After scoring 272 for 9 in the allotted 50 overs, India dismissed Pakistan for just 69 runs to win the game by 203 runs and storm into the final where they will take on Australia. Still unbeaten in the tournament, India will enter the game as firm favorites and will be keen to clinch a record fourth World Cup title.

“It feels amazing (to see them do well). I interacted with them before they left and its a lovely bunch of boys. Compared to our lot (when India won in 2008 under Kohli), the confidence levels are somewhere else which is a great sign,” said Kohli ahead of the first ODI against South Africa.

“You’ll see many people making a strong statement for themselves much earlier than we all did. They have done amazingly well and the semifinal (against Pakistan) was an amazing game,” Kohli added.

The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti have become household names for their exceptional exploits in the tournament.  All the three players have already bagged lucrative deals in the recently-concluded IPL auction.

Kohli further lauded the team’s clinical performance against Pakistan before adding that the team is looking set to win a record fourth U-19 world title.

“Playing such a high-pressure game (against Pakistan), they really stood up and that’s what you want to see. You want to see people standing up when its needed the most. I want to wish them all the very best for the final,” Kohli said.

“Well all be following very keenly and well be eagerly waiting to see them lift the cup again. I believe they have the talent, and they believe in that much more than I do, which I think is very, very important,” he concluded.