Harsh Tyagi says IPL not too far after U-19 Asia Cup final heroics against Sri Lanka

Harsh Tyagi starred with the ball in Dhaka as India cruised to the 2018 Under-19 Asia Cup title. The left-arm spinner, who was declared the Man-of-the-Match in the final, took six wickets as India registered a comprehensive 144-run win over Sri Lanka. He finished the tournament with 14 wickets overall, second in the list of highest wicket-takers, behind Siddharth Desai, who took 18. [caption id=“attachment_5344411” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Harsh Tyagi. Facebook Harsh Tyagi[/caption] Tyagi, who is now back in India, had earlier toured Sri Lanka in July-August this year for two youth Tests and five youth ODIs. In an interview with Cricketnext, the 18-year-old said that the experience of playing against Sri Lanka held the Indian team in good stead in the final. “I was confident, we had already played Sri Lanka before in two Test matches and five ODIs. We already had plans against them and executed those,” Tyagi was quoted as saying. Tyagi added that the overseas tours have also helped the aspiring cricketers to improve their game and consistent performance would bring them to selectors’ notice. Indian cricket has witnessed a rise of multiple age-group cricketers in the recent period, who have gone on to do well at the senior level as well. Prithvi Shaw, who lead India to U-19 World Cup title in February this year, was recently handed the Test debut against Windies, where he became the youngest Indian to score a Test ton on debut. His former teammates Shivam Mavi and Shubman Gill also bagged lucrative contracts during the 2018 IPL auction. Tyagi said he looks up to these players as a source of inspiration. “It’s always great to see them (former U-19 players) do well. They have also got into the India team. It gives us confidence that we can also do the same. Shivam Mavi is playing in IPL and some more players are in the line. If we perform well and give our 100 percent then anything can happen,” Tyagi said. Tyagi also feels the IPL is not far for him and sees the tournament as a gateway to the Indian cricket team. After the Asia Cup success, the next task on hand for Tyagi is the Ranji Trophy, where he will play for Railways. And the aim for the youngster is to continue the good work.