ICC U19 World Cup 2016 Final Preview: India v West Indies

The Indian U19 team will take on the West Indies in the final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2016 at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka on the 14th of February. Ishan Kishan and his band of merry men will be hoping to keep their good form going. They have been unbeaten in the tournament so far. Despite a few tight finishes, the Windies will be looking to pull off a win that will see them secure their first ever U19 crown.

India:

The Indian camp seems to be on a seemingly unbreakable streak. Rahul Dravid’s men have been unbeaten in the last 16 matches. The batting and bowling unit has fired to perfection. Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan have been the standout performers with the latter being one of the top scorers in the tournament. Avesh Khan, Rahul Batham and Khaleel Ahmed have been a revelation with the ball.

The form of skipper Ishan Kishan has been a concern given his series of low scores in the competition. Anmolpreet Singh has taken his opportunity with both hands as he has replaced Ricky Bhui in the last few matches. Given the immense strength of the Indian squad, they are most definitely favourites to clinch the title.

West Indies:

The Windies have had a much harder road to the final compared to their opponents. Shimron Hetmyer & Co. began the tournament with a loss to England. They picked themselves back up with wins over Fiji and a narrow win over Zimbabwe. However, they proved their mettle in the semi-final against hosts Bangladesh. Shamar Springer will be looking to continue his fine form. The fast bowlers have also done well, clocking speeds as they look to emulate the likes Michael Holding and Joel Garner.

Form Guide:

India WWWWW

West Indies WWWWL

Probable XI:

India:

Ishan Kishan (C), Rishabh Pant (wk), Anmolpreet Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Armaan Jaffer, Mahipal Lormor, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Washington Sundar, Rahul Bhatam, Ricky Bhui

West Indies:

Gidron Pope, Shamar Springer, Shimron Hetmyer (C), Keemo Paul, Tevlin Imlach (wk), Jyd Goolie, Michael Frew, Alzaari Joseph, Chemar Holder, Keact Carter, Ryan John

Stats:

• India have been unbeaten the last 16 U19 matches.
• After beating Asian rivals Sri Lanka in the semifinals, India enter their 5th U19 World Cup final, the most by any country.
• The West Indies are entering their first ICC tournament final in 32 years.