Here's why Venkatesh Prasad is grateful to BCCI

India wicketkeeper Harvik Desai and Anukul Roy celebrate an Aussie wicket during the U19 World Cup final in NZ on Saturday PicPTIWhile the players and coaching staff deservedly lapped up the accolades after India crushed Australia in the final of the under19 ICC World Cup at Bay Oval in New Zealand on Saturday the threemember junior selection committee headed by Venkatesh Prasad also played a crucial role in the unprecedented feat of four U19 World Cup wins To arrive at the best for Indias 15member squad Prasad amp Co tried out close to 60 players in the process The former India pacer opened up to midday on the planning and preparation for the big eventExcerpts from an interview What has been Indias biggest takeawayIts a complete team effort It would be very difficult for me to pinpoint one or two guys Of course it was very heartening to see our fast bowlers touch 145kmph It took me by surprise when I saw their pace They have done well and made themselves proud There are a couple of good fast bowlers for the futureVenkatesh Prasad Such a clinical effort would have been quite pleasinghellipAbsolutely We were the first team to reach New Zealand 15 to 20 days before the tournament started We got to play a few practice matches against the district teams U19s and then got into the World Cup We got the time to acclimatise to the pitches and conditions That helped the team immensely Can you throw some light on the preparationsOur selection committee came on board just when Rahul Dravid took over as coach We have a very good understanding Whatever we suggested the Board was ready to implement I suggested that the U19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy be played with coloured clothing and the white ball which was not the case earlier It was introduced this time by the BCCI Those are the minor changes that did wonders It was the first step to prepare them mentally because that is how onedayers at the international level are played I also suggested a change in the format of the U16 tournaments where they should simply follow the U19 structure It is also important to play the U16 tournaments on seaming tracks because Indian batsmen are always found wanting on seaming pitches overseas What was the idea behind trying out close to 60 playersWe wanted to keep everyones hopes alive wanted to make sure that they are all equally important and are part of this framework That would have given them the required motivation to continue their good work We didnt want to have just a 25player pool we wanted to give opportunities to as many players as possible to showcase their talent I want to thank the Board for hearing us out and organise tournaments and matches against various foreign teams That gave the boys the experience and confidence to play on the global stage So what next for these under19 stars It is important for them to be grounded and stay humble They should be focused on the process rather than think about getting into the Indian Premier League I dont think they could have asked for anyone better than Rahul Dravid I just hope they asked him enough questions How difficult was it for a threemember selection committee as against a fiveman panelWith just three selectors we had to travel the length and breadth of the country to identify the talent mdash not just based on bowling or batting but fielding too We had to find players who were twodimensional It was difficult but we had to do a job Rakesh Parikh Gyanendra Pandey and I were travelling close to 20 days a month It wasnt easy but after getting the desired results it is very satisfyingCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go