After a dominant 3-0 clean-sweep of the Australian U-19 side in the limited-overs series in Puducherry, India, coached by the experienced Hrishikesh Kanitkar, will look to maintain its momentum in red-ball cricket as it takes on a determined side in the first of two Youth Test matches at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here, starting Monday.
Buoyed by home advantage and confidence from its recent success, India will enter the match as firm favourite.
In the first ODI, Kerala leg-spinner Mohamed Enaan and Karnataka’s KP Kartikeya tormented the Australian batting line-up, helping India dismiss the visitor for 184. An unbeaten 153-run fourth-wicket partnership between skipper Mohamed Amaan and Kartikeya sealed a comfortable seven-wicket win for India.
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India’s dominant run continued in the second ODI, where opener Sahil Parikh’s century helped the team chase down 177 with 28 overs to spare to post a commanding nine-wicket win. In the final ODI, captain Amaan again led the charge with the bat, powering India to 324 for eight. Despite centuries from Australian skipper Oliver Peake and Steven Hogan in a tough chase, India held its nerve to secure a series whitewash.
The transition to the longer format will be crucial for both sides. India’s senior men’s team recently beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test here, where both the pacers and spinners thrived on a pitch that rewarded disciplined bowling. The conditions at Chepauk could present similar challenges, even on a batting-friendly surface, if skills are applied effectively.
While Amaan and Sahil will miss the red-ball games, Madhya Pradesh batter Soham Patwardhan has been entrusted with leading the side. His deputy is Punjab’s Vihan Malhotra.
An intriguing match-up looms with India’s top four — Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitya Pandya, Vihan, and Soham — all being left-handers, pitted against Australia’s trio of off-spinners.
All eyes will be on stand-out performers Kartikeya and Enaan, who impressed with their spin-bowling prowess in the one-dayers and will play pivotal roles for India.
Meanwhile, Australia will rely on two veteran assistant coaches - Carl Hooper from West Indies and Tilan Samaraweera from Sri Lanka - to help it recover.
Lachlan Stevens, a former Western Australia and Victoria coach, who previously served as Cricket Australia’s head of development, is the head coach of the visiting side.
Stevens had travelled to India to assist Andre Borovec for the T20I series in 2023.
India U-19 head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As the series shifts to the longer format, coach Kanitkar remains cautiously optimistic. “The boys are confident after the ODI series, but this is a different format. The conditions and mindset change. It’s important to take the positives from the win, but now it’s about resetting and preparing for the challenges of red-ball cricket,” he said.
Commenting on the conditions in Chennai, he added, “The weather is similar to Puducherry — hot and humid — but the pitch is different. We’ll assess it in the morning and make our decisions based on that.”
Kanitkar also praised the depth of talent in the squad, without singling out anyone.
“There’s a lot of ability in this team, both in terms of batting and bowling. Anyone of them could step up and deliver, and that’s a very promising sign for us,” he said.
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