India U19 speedster Ishan Porel bowled a phenomenal spell against arch-rival Pakistan in the semi-final clash on January 30. While defending a target of 273 runs, his 6 overs were enough to ruin the Pakistani batting top-order. He conceded just 17 runs and dismissed four out of top five batsmen. As a result, the Indian colts found themselves in the finals.
This incident happened two days after the mega-auction of the eleventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) where Porel remain unsold while his teammates including Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Anukul Roy cracked decent deals with different franchises. Watching his buddies gearing up to play India’s biggest cash-rich cricket league, while he will only be able to watch them on TV would be heart-breaking for any sportsperson.
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Ahead of the final game against the Aussies, Porel’s childhood coach, Bibhas Das spoke to sports website Sportswallah.com revealed that he was upset after not getting selected by any of the IPL franchises. He said,
“I have been regularly in touch with him over the phone during the World Cup. Bittu (Ishan’s nickname) was very upset after he remained unsold. He was very hopeful to get to play in the IPL.”
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Das also revealed how he boosted Porel’s morale. He said,
“I told him that cricket is not all about IPL. I personally do not admire T20 cricket. I advised him to prove himself on the field. Bittu also told me that he was feeling more hungry for success as he had one or two points to prove.”
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He is going to feature in the most anticipated ICC U19 World Cup on February 3 and will fight against Australia to bring the cup back home after 4 years.
