Menaria confident of defending U-19 WC title in New Zealand

NEW DELHI: The strong camaraderie of the team and the match-fitness of the players give India good chances of defending its title in the under-19 cricket World Cup in New Zealand, feels captain Ashok Menaria.
India have done well in the event, having reached the final thrice and triumphed twice. Menaria said India's strong domestic set-up gives them the edge.
"I am proud to lead a strong team.In India, we take to cricket early and play a lot of junior level competitions. This explains, why we have such an outstanding record in the ICC U-19 CWC," he said.
"We played as a unit in Australia. Team spirit was high and the boys remained in touch later as well, playing with and against each other in the age-group tournaments conducted by the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy. I don't think any other country has so many age-group competitions. We are very much match-fit and ready to go," Menaria said.
Two-time winners India will open their campaign against qualifier Afghanistan on the opening day of the tournament on January 15 in Christchurch.
"There is no pressure on us. We are aware of India's impressive record in the ICC U19 CWC. We believe in ourselves and are confident of putting up a good show," Menaria, left-arm spinner from Rajasthan, was quoted as saying in an ICC newsletter.
The India captain is expecting tough conditions in New Zealand but hoped that South African tour just before the competition will help them adjust well.
"We expect the wickets to have something in them. Our tour of South Africa prior to the ICC CWC 2010 will help us get used to such tracks. We had no problems adjusting to the bouncy Australia wickets when we toured earlier this year."
Menaria contended that there is tremendous unity in the team which will help them perform well.
"The tour of Australia in April 2009 was a wonderful learning experience. Our biggest advantage, as we go into this World Cup, is the team is virtually unchanged. The coach is the same (Chandrakant Pandit) and so is the captain! The 'continuity' factor will definitely help," he said.
Asked about the main performers of his side, Menaria picked six players and made a special mention about batter Mayank Agarwal.
"Mandeep Singh, Hapreet Singh, Mayank Agarwal (all batsmen), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkad and Saurabh Netrwalkar (all bowlers). Agarwal had a good tour of Australia when he scored 220 in two one-day matches and 159 runs in the two Tests. I remember Greg Chappell asking him where and how the bowlers were supposed to bowl to him," he said.
On being asked about cricketing idol, Menaria said, "Yuvraj Singh. He is a match-winner and a great team-man. I admire his body language and approach to the game. He gives it everything on the field. And he happens to be a left-hander like me."