During their stay they will play three four day unofficial test matches and three one day games and a three day warm up game.
`` The boys are a very good young lot and very keen with a very positive approach and eager to leran new and different things during their visit.'' said Anushuman Gaekwad the coach and a former test opener.
Gaekwad is no stranger to Sri Lanka and toured the country in 1976 with an Indian team captained by Ajith Wadekar. Gaekwad once held the Guinness Book records for the longest innings scoring a double hundred against arch rivals Pakistan in a test match which lasted for two days.
`` The Inter State and Inter-Zonal and the school season have just ended and about 40 players had assembled in Bombay where trials were held and the final 15 was picked. The criteria for selection was not merely based on performances alone. Potential was also teken into consideration. We dropped two youngsters who were the highest wicket takers''. said Gaekwad who had represented India in 40 test matches and scored over 2000 test runs.
The team has five Ranji Trophy players namely the skipper Jaoti Yadav(Uthar Pradesh) a dependable middle order batsman,S.S.Das (Bengal) the deputy skipper who opens the innings with Akash Chopra while Amit Pagnis (middle order batsman from Bengal),allrounder Ajith Agarkar(from Bombay) and W.D.Balaji Rao from Madras(Tamil Nadu) are the other Ranji Trophy players. Balaji has been on overseas tours with the previous under 19 teams.
The Indians will open their tour today, with a three day warm up game at the Moors grounds against a Board Prsident's XI. The local side will be led by Dharmapala cricketer Chinthaka Jayasinghe. He has passed the 1000 run mark for the third year in succession in school cricket. The Indian team will be led by Jaoti Yadav.
The rest of the matches are. February 15 to 18 First unofficial test match at Asgiriya ,Kandy. February 21 to 24 Second unofficial test at Welagedera Stadium ,Kurunegala. February 27 to March 2 Third Unofficial test at Uyanwatte Esplanade ,Matara. First One day match March 5 at Tyronne Fernando Stadium . Second One dayer March 7 ,P Sara Stadium. March 9 Third and final One day game at SSC.
The teams.
Board President's XI Under 19. Chinthaka Jayaasinghe ( capt),S.Kalavitigoda, S.Mackay,Bathiya Karunaratne,Indika Konara, Romesh Fernando,Charinda Fernando, Ranga Dias, Malinda Bandara,Naren Ratwatte, R.Herath. Reserves. C.Moratota,D.Hunukumbura,C.Rupasinghe,Ranil Dammika.
India Under 19. Jaoti Yadav, (captain),S.S.Das (Vice captain), Amit Pagnis, Balaji Rao, Javed Anwar, Thilak Naidu,Shivsagar Singh,Musi Raza, Ajith Agarkar, Shreyas Khanolkar,Ravinder Nain,Aravind Solanki ,Aakash Chopra, Mithun Manhas,Mohamed Ghouse,. Manager Dr.M.K.Bhargava. Coach. Anshuman Gaekwad. Umpires: Philp Mendis and W. Gunawansa - Stand-by: N. S. Arunasiri.