At the Under-19 levels, Laxman and Kanitkar place a premium on player development.
Allrounder Samit Dravid, who had been sidelined from the three-match one-day series against Australia Under-19s in Puducherry, has n't recovered from a knee injury and will likely miss the upcoming four-dayers in Chennai as well, according to India Under-19s ' coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar.
" As of now he's at the NCA, recovering from his hip damage," Kanitkar said of Dravid on the eve of India Under-19s second four-dayer against Australia Under-19s at Chepauk. " So, [ I] do n't know yet. It looks doubtful. "
Samit, the brother of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, had earned his lady call-up to the India Under-19s club after featuring in the Maharaja T20 prize, where he played for Mysuru Warriors, and the Cooch Behar Trophy, which Karnataka won.
Samit, now 18, however, will not be available for the next Under-19 World Cup in 2026. As per the ICC's restrictions, any player who is ready to function in the Under-19 World Cup may be aged under 19 as of August 31, 2025. But Samit is set to change 19 on October 11 and therefore will not be able to fulfill the eligibility requirements for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup.
Past India player and NCA mind VVS Laxman has stated that they are placing more value on developing the people rather than just building up a talent share for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Thus, we are now playing a set against Australia Under-19, and surprisingly, a lot of the players who might not make it to the next World Cup are included in this line," Laxman said on the eve of the opening of Bengaluru's brand-new, state-of-the-art National Cricket Academy.
Nevertheless, there is still coverage, and they are not just limited to the World Cup in terms of exposure. We want them to develop as cricketers, and just because someone played India Under-19 or someone did n't do it does n't mean they wo n't advance in their careers. However, if they play at the highest level and are sensitive to pressures from a World Cup, I believe that will help them develop as players. "
India Under-19 coach Kanitkar eager to test out his athletes in red-ball cricket
The earliest youth Test against Australia Under-19s, which may start at Chepauk on Monday, may be India colts ' second four-dayer in more than five years. Kanitkar even talked up the contact the American players did find, in red-ball cricket, against some American players who are on the fringes of Sheffield Shield choice.
" I think it's a great initiative to play Test games because red-ball [cricket ] really tests you," Kanitkar said. " There's enough time for the bowlers to plan and [make ] strategies. It's the best problem to see where you stand, for both batters and bowlers as well as for yet fielders. I think to be able to execute against a foreign area is a great factor. Many people, including myself, have played under-19 cricket against foreign groups, and it has truly helped us a bit. But, I think it's going to be beautiful for the gamers. "
India Under-19s go into the four-dayers on the rear of a 3-0 blow in the one-dayers in Puducherry. Kanitkar was delighted with the benefits India Under-19s had made in those three game, but with Chennai receiving some magic of weather over the past year, to go with exceedingly high moisture, he was afraid of the problems at Chepauk.
" They're convinced and we've had a great one-day line," Kanitkar said. " Having said that, this is a unique format immediately. All modifications and the location is different. Therefore, it's better to take great things from that and keep the highs up and prepare again.
" Pondicherry was warm as well. It's very similar [in Chennai], but weather-wise, we're great. We will look at the pitch again tomorrow night because it is certainly different. Because it's hot and humid, let's see if it rains immediately. "
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