'Will Enjoy Ice Cream Now', Says U19 World Cup-Winning Captain Yash Dhull

After winning the record-extending fifth U-19 World Cup title, India captain Yash Dhull said the team will now celebrate the historic win with a lot of ice cream. He added that the entire team was on a strict diet throughout the tournament and the World Cup triumph provided an opportunity to have a gala celebration with ice cream.

"The ice cream has reached the rooms of every player; we will have and enjoy ice creams now. We had to maintain a strict diet for this tournament so now we will enjoy some ice cream," Dhull said during a virtual post-match press conference.

"It is a proud moment for everyone, we had to struggle hard, but every player had a strong mindset. Everyone in this camp is mentally strong so that is why we were able to achieve this feat," Dhull added.

Five Indian players, including captain Dhull, had been ruled out of India's two group-stage games after testing positive for COVID-19. Among the infected, Dhull had the worst symptoms but he, along with the other players came out and achieved the rare feat.

"It's a sign of a good team, that it backs players when they are down, and they are not made to feel that they had been away. When we came back, it felt like nothing had changed, and we continued playing positively and got the results," Dhull said.

Despite his lead-from-the-front attitude, Dhull gave credit to the entire team, saying the world cup triumph is a team effort.

"It is a team effort, backing players is a sign of a good team. We kept moving ahead with a positive mindset. Medium pacers have been doing well for us since the Asia Cup, Ravi Kumar gave us a good start and Raj Bawa was exceptional," the proud captain said.

"Raj Bawa has an important role as an all-rounder. His mindset is really good and he has full confidence in his game. Bawa takes the batter by surprise through his bouncers. He bowls it real quick," he said.