MIRPUR: By the time the sun came out in the West Indies on Sunday, the World Cup trophy was already on its way to the Caribbean islands from the Shere Bangla Stadium here.

The much-craved for victory didn't come without a grind for the boys in maroon. But when Keacy Carty and Keemo Paul knocked off the final three runs in the final over the match while chasing the 146-run target, a lot of people back home in the Caribbean would have exhaled in sheer relief. The win, in many ways, will help them get off their minds the nagging, agonizing memories of the 1983 World Cup final.

Under-19 cricket is meant to be a part of a finishing school for the cricketers. If there was one lesson left for the Indian boys to take away from the ICC Under-19 World Cup, it unfortunately came in the final. It is the perhaps the most important aspect of international cricket -holding nerve in a high pressure match. On Sunday, it was the West Indian boys who came up trumps with some sharp game awareness, determination and composure.

The Caribbean boys here got into the habit of pulling off cliff-hangers - like we saw in their quarterfinal and semifinal wins. If it was Shamar Springer in the last two matches, it was Carty who defied his natural instincts on the big day to see the team home with an unbeaten 125-ball 52.

The batting floundered and the nerves got to the better of them in the field with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant having a forgettable day but there is not much to be ashamed of for the Boys in Blue. Despite falling for a small total of 146, they took the game to the final over, defending desperately. This will to fight helped them dominate matches right from the time they got together in late October.

The Indian boys might have felt they had a chance to stage a miraculous comeback when Mayank Dagar picking up three wickets in the space of five overs to reduce the West Indies to 77/5.

But Carty and Paul (40* off 68) came up with a lesson in how not to finish a game in a hurry . Something the Indian batsmen, led by Sarfaraz Khan, would have loved to do in the tournament.

The day started with Pant getting stumped off a delivery bowled at 138 kmhr. Wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach's sharp finish was a stern message to the Indian camp. It wasn't just the searing pace of Alzarri Joseph or Chemar Holder that the Indian batsmen had to deal with it. They were pushed back by the will of 11 boys having fun in the middle. They weren't going to give an inch. It was evident when captain Shimron Hetmyer decided to bowl both Joseph and Holder inside 30 overs. They wanted to kill the contest by getting Sarfaraz out. Sarfaraz survived the hostility but that wasn't enough to help his team avoid his team's only loss in 14 matches.

For more on this story go to: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/top-stories/Cup-of-Colts-goes-to-Caribbean/articleshow/50989941.cms

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