U19 WC: Virus-hit India prays for players ahead of clash vs Uganda

January 22, 2022

0Points

100

U19 WC: Virus-hit India prays for players ahead of clash vs Uganda

Tarouba (Trinidad): Rattled by multiple COVID-19 cases, but until the final eighth leg, the Indian team hopes its campaign stays on track as it takes on minnows Uganda in its final Group B match of the Under-19 World Championship, here on Saturday.

With six of the 17-man squad forced into isolation for Wednesday’s game in Ireland, India barely managed to place a playing XI, but the available pack was good enough for a thumping 174-point win that sealed the passage. of the team to the quarterfinals.

India would certainly like skipper Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaik Rasheed, who are among the six players affected by the virus, to return to the side by the time the knockout stages begin.

It will not be known until Friday night which of the affected players will be available for the game against Uganda when RT-PCR reports of five of them, including those from Dhull and Rasheed, will be available.

Siddarth Yadav is the only player with a confirmed positive RT-PCR report, while Dhull, Rasheed and Aaradhya Yadav tested positive in Rapid Antigen Tests.

All-rounders Manav Parakh and Vasu Vats had even tested negative in RAT but were withdrawn as a precaution after showing symptoms of the infection.

National Cricket Academy Head VVS Laxman had praised the players for the way they responded to the situation.

“Great display of character and maturity from the U-19 team. With only 11 players available, it was phenomenal to express themselves as they did. I can’t say how proud I am of them! The game in Ireland is one they will cherish for life,” Laxman had tweeted.

The match against Uganda is mathematically of no significance for India but still has meaning as the players may be under mental stress from the COVID and those who missed Wednesday hope to clear to a crucial match time to get it under their belt.

If the five players awaiting test reports are again unavailable, the team management will be forced to set up the same playing XI that won against Ireland.

Though talent abounds in this Indian team but when the knockout stage starts the team wants its best players in the park as it is a fifth trophy.

So far, openers Harnoor Singh and Angriksh Raghuvanshi have shown great form and are likely to continue in the same vein, but the next midfielder should score at a better pace.

Nishant Sindhu, who led the squad in Dhull’s absence, also looked good.

The team also has an explosive lower-middle-class batter in Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who successfully used the long handle in the game against Ireland.

Uganda has yet to win one match in the tournament. It lost to South Africa by a massive 121 runs on Tuesday after losing to Ireland by 39 runs in the opening game.

Pascal Murungi is the only player to have shown a spark with both bat and ball, while pacer Juma Miyaji and off-spinner Joseph Baguma have done well with the ball in the matches so far.

Selection:

pratap

Coffee, Keyboard and music.. Best Companion for quality writing. Aditya Pratap is undergrad fellow and looking for best stuffs in Technology, Politics and Startups.