Indian captain Uday Saharan shared his thoughts on India's heartbreaking defeat in the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 final against Australia on Sunday, February 11. The star batter praised his teammates for showing fighting spirit throughout the tournament and added that he is proud of the Boys in Blue.
Hugh Weibgen-led Australia recorded a dominating 79-run win in the final at Benoni's Willowmoore Park while defending 253 runs. Australian bowlers never allowed Indian batters to show any sign of fightback with timely wickets.
A lack of meaningful partnerships was the main reason behind India's defeat and Saharan also blamed a few rash shots for the heartbreak. The likes of Musheer Khan and Sachin Dhas also failed to contribute in the final after a string of brilliant performances in the tournament.
Saharan admitted that the Indian batters were prepared but failed to execute their plans against impressive Australian bowling.
"It was a very good tournament," Saharan said during the post-match presentation. "I am very proud of the boys, they all played very well. They all showed great fighting spirit from the start, very proud of them. We played a few rash shots, and couldn't spend more time at the crease. We had prepared, but couldn't execute. Got to learn a lot from the start to now. From the coaching staff to the games, learned a lot. Now we just need to keep learning more and move ahead."
Meanwhile, Australian skipper Hugh Weibgen praised his bowlers for successfully defending 253 runs and tipped his teammates to make big in the future.
"It's unbelievable, I am so proud of this group of boys and the coaches," Hugh Weibgen said. "A lot of work has gone in over the last few months. Fair bit of confidence that if we got 250 on the board we'd defend it. The form is temporary (on Singh), and the class is permanent. Full credit to the coaches for keeping faith in him. We had full faith that he could get the job done. India obviously a class side, they dominated the whole tournament and they were on the wrong side today but they have a lot of class. Personally, as a unit, they (bowlers) work so well together. They know their roles, they know their jobs. I'll be very surprised if the four of them don't go a long way."
