India captain Lakshya Raichandani won the toss and elected to bowl first against Nepal
Aryavir Sehwag opens the innings alongside captain Lakshya, while Anvay Dravid takes on wicketkeeping duties in a star-studded junior playing XI.
U-19 head coach Yere Goud stated that the team is focused on shielding the youngsters from undue pressure
India began their Under-19 Asia Cup campaign against Nepal on Friday, November 6. India's captain, Lakshya Raichandani, won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Anvay Dravid, son of Rahul Dravid, and Aryavir Sehwag, son of Virender Sehwag, feature in the playing XI, with Aryavir opening alongside captain Lakshya, and Anvay taking on wicketkeeping and middle-order duties.
"Going to bowl first on this surface. Preparation has been good. We came early and we had a good 2-3 days practice sessions. [On the wicket] Yeah, it has a nice grass covering and there should be something early on, so we'll make the most of it. [Who are the ones we can look forward to today?] They are all extraordinary talents, and look out to all of them," said Lakshya during the toss.
'We Don't Want To Put Pressure'
Yere Goud is traveling with the junior team as the head coach. Before the match, when asked about the team's preparation, he stated that the Men in Blue had been preparing for the tournament for the last six months.
Addressing the challenge of managing big cricketing surnames in the playing XI, Goud said: "We don’t want to put pressure on them because it is their journey. We want them to enjoy the journey. We don’t want to put pressure or expectations on them. We tell them to prepare well, trust their preparation, and execute and implement things as best as they can. That is the expectation from our point of view because putting expectations on them creates undue pressure on the players."
Goud also applauded the talent of captain Lakshya, noting he can be a key asset for the senior team in coming years.
He added: "We’ve got a couple of very talented players in the side, the captain Lakshya and Yashbardhan as well. Lakshya has already been representing Uttarakhand in first-class cricket. Yashvardhan is part of the Under-23 senior Madhya Pradesh side, and both are very talented, like you mentioned. They’ve been doing well for some time in whatever tournaments and series we’ve played."
"Lakshya has got two double-hundreds and two hundreds in the four-day games, and he looks like a very solid opener for the future of the country," he concluded.
Playing XI
Nepal U19 (Playing XI): Aashish Luhar(w), Abhay Yadav, Bipin Sharma(c), Darsh Sonar, Niraj Kumar Yadav, Nischal Chhetri, Nitesh Patel, Prashiddha Jaishi, Sachin Bhatt, Sushil Rawal, Suryanshu Koirala
India U19 (Playing XI): Aaryavir Sehwag, Anvay Dravid(w), Arjun Rajput, Ishan Sood, Kavya Patel, Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani(c), Manal Chauhan, Mohit Ulva, Yashveer Goud, VK Vineeth, Yashbardhan Chauhan
