We didn't play our number one game in final: Rahul Dravid

U19 chief coach Rahul DravidCoach Rahul Dravid today said India did not play their number one game in the final of the ICC U19 World Cup notwithstanding the eightwicket drubbing of Australia en route to winning the title Dravid though promptly added that his team fully deserved the title triumph We did not play our number one game in the finals that we played in the quarterfinal versus Bangladesh and semifinal against Pakistan Just the fact that they played the finals was an experience Dravid saidThe former India captain was speaking after the teams arrival here from New Zealand where the tournament was held Im really happy that the 15 boys got to wear World Cup medal They deserve it Its been a lot of sacrifices the way they played in the World Cup The way they jelled the quality of cricket they played all these give you a lot of satisfaction We were under pressure in a few games but there were people who stood up and delivered The batting legend added that the most satisfying part other than winning the World Cup was the process the team followed to reach the topThe real satisfaction in my opinion is the process that was followed over the last 1416 months the whole planning and preparation that has gone into not necessarily for this World Cup but for developing the U19 players It was great team work guys behind the scenes the selectors NCA the BCCI setting up games and series Winning a tournament like this is a good reflection of the team work Dravid cautioned that the real test awaits his young players The challenge and the hard work really start from here we had couple of conversation on itWhen we were there they showed a rerun of the 2012 finals and I started checking upon a few things It is interesting the result of the final is India beat Australia but six years down the line only one of those boys has played for India while 56 of them went on to play for Australia He felt a lot will depend on how the young players are managed Talent is there ability is there its about managing themselves how to deal with pressure and the expectations that will come as U19 champions Its not easy to get into the Indian sideAt least if they become good first class cricketers from then on it becomes a stepping stone to play for India Dravid said the players treated the highpressure semifinal against archfoes Pakistan like any other game The boys knew that many people watch it We played two Asia Cups but we did not play Pakistan I am happy that they got to know what an IndiaPakistan game is about at the U19 level The way our boys handled that game the quality of cricket that we played the intensity that we showed was commendable and we did not give them a chance to come backDravid felt these boys should now quit playing agelevel cricket although he said it was his personal view My view is quite well known I feel that once the boys are good enough they should go on to play mens cricket especially those who had played first class cricket Five boys from last years World Cup qualified to play this time But we made a conscious decision not to pick them as I felt it will be better for them to play U23 cricket and senior mens cricketCatch 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