Rahul Dravid Tweaks Indian U19 Selection Policy

The Indian U19 team has become a formidable force in recent times under their charismatic coach Rahul Dravid.

Cricket news: Dravid feels that a few players need growing up in the Indian team

There is an enormous overflow of talent in the junior levels of cricket in India. With players like Prithvi Shaw and Abhishek Sharma having made their claims to the side, Dravid has made it clear that not all players will get selected however talented they may be.

Dravid has thought of a policy in recent times and has made some tweaks in his selection policy as he thinks that some boys need a bit more grooming.

A BCCI official who is close to the team has confirmed the policy saying that the former Indian captain believes that this policy will give more opportunities to younger players in international cricket.

“The decision has been taken by Dravid and the junior selection committee together. There is no hard and fast rule about repeating players after a U-19 World Cup,” a top BCCI official said.

The official has also added that besides the fact that some players need more grooming, the pool of players also needs strengthening.

Moreover he said that some players would need a smoother transition from junior level cricket to senior level cricket.

“Dravid feels that some of the boys need a bit more of grooming. These boys don’t make it to the senior teams straight away. It will only help to strengthen the pool of players,” the official added.

Arya Juyal, who was a part of the reserve bench of the winning team in 2018 U19 World Cup, was selected as the captain of the one-day side.

He was also named deputy to Anuj Rawat, who was also part of the U19 World Cup team, in the four-day games.

“There was a belief that Juyal actually didn’t play the entire World Cup. The ones in the previous batch had played the entire tournament except for Zeeshan,” the official said.