India U-19 captain Yash Dhull: Career focus will be cricket only

India captain Yash Dhull has said he wishes to focus on cricket only and not be swayed by the trappings of success.

Yash Dhull celebrates India’s win in the final of the U-19 World Cup in Antigua on Saturday.

India captain Yash Dhull has said he wishes to focus on cricket only and not be swayed by the trappings of success.

“I want to play cricket only. The focus will be on the game, the rest of the things will take care of themselves,” Dhull said when asked about his future plans after India’s win in the U-19 World Cup final on Saturday.

Dhull said he and Shaik Rasheed, the vice-captain, were great friends and it aided in India’s success.

“Shaik Rasheed is my best friend, we have dinners together. When we were batting together in the final, the thought was to take it deep and then finish it five-seven overs earlier,” Dhull said.

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“We were dismissed [in the final] but Nishant Sindhu played well. In the field, Rasheed kept suggesting me and it helped me to have a free mind. It also gave me confidence that I am making the right decisions.”

Dhull credited his team’s success to team effort. “It is a big moment, everyone was supporting, so it is a big moment for us to win the tournament. It is a team effort, backing players is a sign of a good team. We kept moving ahead with a positive mindset. Medium pacers have been doing well for us since the Asia Cup, Ravi Kumar gave us a good start and Raj Bawa was exceptional,” said Dhull.

Dhull was full of praise for medium pacer Bawa (5 for 31), who ran through the English middle-order to restrict the opponents to a modest 189. “Raj Bawa has an important role as an all-rounder. His mindset is really good and he has full confidence in his game. Bawa takes the batter by surprise through his bouncers. He bowls it real quick,” Dhull said.