Did Laxman Organize for the India U19 Team to Witness Day Two’s Play?

Birmingham, July 4 (NationPress) India U19 men's head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar disclosed that VVS Laxman, the head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), facilitated the opportunity for the team to observe the second day’s play in the ongoing Test match at Edgbaston, where captain Shubman Gill delivered an outstanding career-best score of 269.

On the second day, the entire India U19 squad, under the leadership of promising Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre, along with Kanitkar and other coaching staff, were spotted watching the live match. Kanitkar, a former Indian player, emphasized that this experience is invaluable for young batters to learn how to construct an innings in a red-ball format.

“VVS Laxman played a key role in making this happen. He suggested that attending this match would be beneficial. This is indeed a significant opportunity for any aspiring cricketer to be present at a Test venue,” Kanitkar mentioned in a video shared on bcci.tv on Friday.

“The crucial takeaway for them as batters is that not every ball needs to be hit for four or six runs. You can be highly effective, maintain a good scoring rate, and accumulate runs, much like Shubman has demonstrated. Once we return, we will conduct a session to discuss what they learned from this experience.”

“He has played a classic Test innings, demonstrating skill without merely grinding the score. He has executed his shots well, selecting the right balls and positioning himself correctly. They can certainly connect with the idea that if he succeeds at this level by mastering the fundamentals, they can too, and I believe that will be the most significant lesson,” he added.

Young left-handed batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has recorded scores of 48, 45, and 86 in the current youth series in England, expressed that there is much to learn from Gill’s remarkable performance. “I am thrilled. This is my first Test match in England, and I am observing how the game unfolds,” he shared.

“We all came to watch the match and drew abundant inspiration, as Shubman Gill is a role model for us. Every player dreams of representing their country in red-ball cricket,” he added.

Young spinner Anmoljeet Singh, hailing from Punjab, which is also Gill's home state, stated that witnessing day two’s play further motivates him to pursue representing the country. “Yesterday evening, sir informed us that everyone must watch the match. We were eager to attend from the morning,” he recounted.

“At that moment, Gill was batting at 114, and it felt fantastic to see him play. Representing India is a monumental achievement. Observing them motivates me to aspire to play for India and emulate their success,” he concluded.

India U19 is presently leading the five-match Youth ODI series 2-1 against England and is scheduled to compete in the fourth match at New Road, Worcester on July 5, with the fifth and final game set for July 7 at the same venue.