India's triumphant under-19 World Cup captain Unmukt Chand said his team's interaction with senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar helped the side to regain the coveted title Down Under, says a report in Indian Express.
"Tips given by Sachin was very helpful for us. He had played far too many matches in Australia and gave tips on the kind of pitches you would get during the World Cup. He also shared his experiences of combating pressure. So it was very helpful for us," he told reporters just before the start of Castrol Awards ceremony here.
Chand said Sehwag also has been instrumental in boosting his confidence and the Delhi dasher has been giving useful batting tips which helped him improve his batting. "I have played lot of matches alongside Sehwag for Delhi. He gives me a lot of useful batting tips. It builds my confidence," he said.
Meanwhile according to a report in Hindustan Times, Unmukt Chand might have won India the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but right now the captain is struggling to retain his seat as a BA student of St Stephen’s College. Barred from taking the second semester exams because of low attendance, Chand earlier approached the Delhi High Court, which ordered the college to allow him to write his exams. But as he was a little late in approaching the court, he was able to write only two exams out of four.
The university mandates that a student should pass 50% of all exams in both semesters combined. “He is a bright boy and has made the country proud but he had just 8% attendance in college. I am just following university guidelines and he is not fulfilling the conditions for promotion,” said Valson Thampu, principal, St Stephen’s College.
Meanwhile a Times Of India report says that India had a well-equipped support staff for the Under-19 squad at the World Cup in Australia, but the absence of a cook nearly derailed India's title-winning campaign Down Under. The Indian team was based in Townsville, on the north-eastern coast of Australia, and the absence of good Indian food was clearly the only stumbling block that could have possibly prevented Unmukt Chand and his brave lads from conquering the world.
"I will mention in my report that the Board should sent a cook along with the team. The boys had to face a lot of hardships because good (Indian) food was not easily available," said Vinod Phadke, manager of the India Under-19 team that won the World Cup early this week.
By Indian Sports News Network
