New Delhi: The Indian under- 19 squad got a well- deserved twoday break ahead of the World Cup final, using the downtime to visit the iconic Nelson Mandela Square and Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
The teamu2019s fielding coach Abhay Sharma said the players needed to recharge their batteries after two high- pressure knockout games against Australia and Pakistan.
On Tuesday, India had hammered Pakistan by 10 wickets in Potchefstroom.
u201c Most of them are in South Africa for the first time. We thought the boys needed some time away from the game and visiting the Nelson Mandela Square was an enlightening experience for them,u201d Sharma told PTI from Potchefstroom.
Team bonding Besides that, the team bonded over lunch and also saw how gold was explored and mined during the gold rush that started in 1886.
After a couple of days off, the team was back to training on Friday and had a lengthy practice session.
Extra attention was given to fielding in an extended session during which the focus was on slip catching and catching from awkward positions.
India favourites Defending champions India are overwhelming favourites to win a record fifth U- 19 World Cup title here on Sunday but a tough fight is expected from first- timers Bangladesh in an all- Asian final.
India will be playing their seventh final since 2000 when they lifted the trophy for the first time. Having said that, success at the U- 19 level doesnu2019t guarantee success at the highest level as not all players have the ability to go on and play for India.
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