India are
set to play England in the final of the U-19 World Cup at the Sir Vivian
Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday. Ahead of the match, messages wishing the
team the very best have poured in on social media, including from batting
legend Sachin Tendulkar and former captain Virat Kohli.

In a video
posted on Twitter, captioned “You have the force of more than a Billion
supporting you,” Tendulkar shared a message of support for the Indian
youngsters, recalling how his team dealt with the pressure of expectation ahead
of the 2011 World Cup final.

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“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 of everything they have. Wasn’t this the moment
you have been waiting for. This is the time to go out and be yourself and
express yourself,” Tendulkar 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,” he added.

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Meanwhile,
Kohli tweeted, “Best wishes to our U-19 boys for the World Cup final.” Kohli won
the U-19 World Cup as skipper in 2008.

Check out some other messages of support for the Indian colts:

Led by skipper Yash Dhull, who became only the third Indian captain to score a century in the U-19 World Cup – after Kohli and Unmukt Chand – India are aiming for a record-extending fifth title. 

India come into the final unbeaten, after winning all their Group B matches before defeating Bangladesh and Australia in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.