India U-19 make an emotional homecoming
MUMBAI: It was an emotional moment for Ra ju Path ak on Monday as the India under -19 team touched down at the Ch hat rap a ti Shivaji International airport. Unlike there st, who came simply to get a glimpse of the newlycrowned World Cup champions, Path ak eagerly waited for Pri th vi Shaw, who he had trained as a child, to walk out leading the team.
The flight was a bit delayed. Word had gone out that the colts could reach anytime soon and for the passersby, the chance of getting to see Rahul Dravid was good enough to wait alongside journalists, cops and a few members of the Mumbai Cricket Association.
Another group also waited eager ly for Shaw. They were students of Rizvi Springfield, the school for whom Shaw had slam med a mammoth 546 during a Harris Shield match back in 2013. “We didn’t speak to him too much but we learnt a lot from him. Uskodek ht edekh te his eekh letethhe hum (Welearnt merely by looking at him play cricket),” Ra vi Gupta( Class VII) and U mar Khan (Class VIII) stated, while holding up a congratulatory banner for the team and Shaw.
“It feels great. I spoke to him a couple of times. We mostly used to stay connected over WhatsApp. It was a side that played great cricket in all three departments. Thus, it also eased a lot of pressure for the captain ,” Path ak told Hindu stan Times .“However, Shaw was great as a skipper as well. His decisions to change bowlers at crucial junctures of the game worked out really well .”
Pathak also went on to laud Dravid who not only had to ensure the side performs to its reputation but also helped main- tain their focus during the IPL auction. “Having a coach like Rahul Dravid, who’s a legend in himself worked well. He ensured that they have their feet on the ground and don’t fly too high,” Pathak went on to add.
“I spoke to him (Shaw) before the semi-final against Pakistan. I felt that they might sledge him since that’s what most senior teams do these days and I had warned him to not fall prey to these mind games. However, Shaw’s a mature player. He’s played first-class cricket, played Ranji Trophy, games against New Zealand (as part of Board Presi- dent’s XI) and he knows how to handle such situations.”
The state association’s plans for grand celebrations perhaps went for a toss as barring a few like Shaw, Arshdeep Singh and Manjot Kalra, they could hardly felicitate any other player. While Shaw did pause for a bit before heading towards the bus, there st simply shied away from the po mp and show. A few youngsters brought by the state association were also left disappointed as they couldn’t interact with the champions and had to only stay content watching them from the sidelines.