‘Wasn’t this the moment you’ve been waiting for?’: Sachin, Kohli wish India Under-19 boys the best for World Cup final

Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli on Saturday shared a special message for Yash Dhull-led Team India ahead of the U19 World Cup final against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. 

Taking to Twitter, Tendulkar shared an inspiring message for the U-19 boys recalling one of the solutions that was discussed when he was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, on how to deal with expectations. His message was the same as what his Twitter caption for the video post read - "You have the force of more than a Billion supporting you..."

“To our India U19 team who are playing the World Cup in West Indies, very well done. You have played some amazing cricket in spite of so many challenges. I know there were a few players who had tested positive for Covid-19 and couldn't participate in the playing XI but remember, champions don't have the best of everything, they make the best if everything the have. Wasn't this the moment you have been waiting for. This is the time to go out and be yourself and express yourself,” he said. 

“I remember the 2011 World Cup, which we were playing in India, during one of our discussions in the camp, on how to deal with expectations and pressure and the solution there was one billion people are with us and not sitting on top of our head. Because the direction of the force and pressure is important. If it is moving forward, it will propel you forward towards the target. If it presses you down then you will sink slowly. I want to wish you all the best, you out and give your best.”

Former India skipper and 2008 U19 World Cup-winning captain, Kohli too joined Tendulkar is wishing the U19 team all the luck. 

“Best wishes to our U-19 boys for the World Cup final,” he tweeted. 

Kohli had earlier interacted with the U19 boys after their win against Australia assured India record-extending eighth final appearance in the tournament history.

Having completed an unbeaten run in the tournament, winning all their Group-B matches before beating Bangladesh in the quarter final and the Aussies in the semis, India, the four-time champions, will now be aiming for an unprecedented fifth in U19 World Cup history. However, their opponent for the blockbuster clash, England, also a former champion, reached the final on an unbeaten note.