About 15 months ago Rahul Dravid was offered the coaching assignment for the U19 Indian team. The gentleman that he is, he gave up a far more lucrative assignment of coaching in the IPL and took up this assignment.

He took these lads and made sure that they trained properly (at this level they are motivated and hungry anyway), and kept them injury free. He ensured that those who were injured were not allowed to aggravate their injury by playing in not so important matches.

RD took these lads around and they thrashed England, won the Asia cup and stayed together playing a lot of cricket.

He ensured that the team went to New Zealand 2 weeks before the world cup and did their home work. They knew exactly what their opposition could do, and how well they should be planning.

Training is not just training MORE. Training has to be correct, taxing, injury free, and relevant. I am sure RD and his team would have ensured that.

“You play as you train”. All of us have heard that, have we not? Like Kapil Dev never bowled a no ball even in training – he did not even in matches. So the Indian team was trained well.

Now look at the Indian team – many of them are already playing in the first class and league level matches. RD promised them a place in the team even if they did not play in some crucial matches. He played people who had not done well even in the league stages – a couple of them came good in the semi finals and the finals. Not easy to take such calls, but RD did.

Most of the Indian players were SECURE financially – they knew that their IPL contracts were coming. Most of them were professionals making money ALREADY.

So to just say that they had a good coach, or that they were committed is fine – but the whole atmosphere is to be appreciate to know how RD created the winning process. Now what ever stuff you put into this process, it will show, right?

Well it showed.

Indians lost just 2 wickets in the 3 innings that they chased a total. That is awesome, is it not?

They took all the 50 wickets in all the 5 matches that they played.

awesome work kids!!