India walk into the U-19 World Cup final against England in Harare with a sense of calm that feels almost provocative in restraint. In a tournament often coloured by hype and destiny-talk, this team under captain Ayush Mhatre has chosen a different style: of neutrality, clarity and assurance.
If Aaron George’s words are an indication, this is not a team obsessed with grand plans or emotional crescendos. “There are no grand sermons and lectures. Under coach (Hrishikesh) Kanitkar sir, we believe in staying neutral and having clarity in our roles,” Aaron, centurion in the semifinal on Wednesday, told TOI.
Friday will mark India’s sixth straight appearance in a U-19 World Cup final, a streak that began in 2016. This will be their 10th final at this level, four more than the next-best, Australia. “There is pressure, but I don’t see it as a burden,” he noted.
Aaron’s classy 115 against Afghanistan in the semifinal stands as the third-highest score by a batter in the knockout stages of an U-19 World Cup, behind only Nicholas Pooran’s 143 in 2014 and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 129 in 2006.
“It was the refusal to see it as anything other than the next ball that needs to be played,” he spoke of the match-winning knock.
“There is no elaborate blueprint for the final,” Aaron says. Conditions are familiar enough, but India are comfortable letting the pitch “reveal itself”. Preparation has been rooted in repetition rather than prediction, on building muscle memory. George admitted that the summit clash brings challenges you cannot rehearse.
“You can prepare for hours at the nets, but the match throws unique challenges you cannot prepare for. That is where presence of mind, instinct and honesty to process take over,” Aaron elaborates.
Away from the tactical talk, the grounding influences are telling. “I listen to R&B and hip-hop to unwind,” he said. Faith, prayer and routine helps him stay centred. “I’m not God fearing, but God loving.” There is ambition too. Aaron speaks of wanting to be a three-format player for India.
Pressure, Aaron acknowledges, never disappears. “The difference is learning to coexist. This final is being treated not as an extraordinary event, but as another game that demands discipline and calm. We will give our 100%,” he added.
England, hardened by high-intensity contests, will test that calm.
