Agony of 2003 and 2016 to 2018 triumph, Rahul Dravid is finally a World Cup winner

Mount Maunganui: Rahul Dravid-coached India U-19 cricket team has done it finally, as they beat Australia by eight wickets in the ICC U-19 World Cup final here on Saturday.

Dravid had not won a World Cup trophy during his 16-year playing career, and this was the best platform to test his coaching skills, thereby grooming the youngsters on their road to victory.

The closest Dravid had got to winning a World Cup trophy with the Indian cricket team was back in 2003, when the then Sourav Ganguly-led India lost to Australia by 125 runs. In that match, Dravid had scored 47 runs, falling short of a half-century.

Had he not been dismissed by Andy Bichel, the Men in Blue would have had some hope of winning their second World Cup trophy.

This could have been a double treat for the former Karnataka batsman, had his India Under-19 side clinched the previous edition of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016.

However, 15 years later, it is Prithvi Shaw and his brave men who have dominated the tournament in style, winning every match by a huge margin.

Back in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, it was Ricky Ponting’s Aussies who completed the double against India, by winning the group stage match as well as the final.

This time, it was Prithvi Shaw and his men’s turn, as they began and ended the tournament with a win over Australia, thereby clinching their fourth title.

Undoubtedly, India were the dominant team in this World Cup, having won all the matches by huge margins.