Days after the Indian team fell to England in the 3rd Test of the five-match Test series at Lord’s, the U19 players got a chance to tour the iconic venue. The U19 squad, currently on tour in England, took in all the glory of the historic arena, as a clip posted on the BCCI’s website gave fans a sneak peek into the visit. From Ayush Mhatre celebrating his birthday at Lord’s, to the team’s head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar recalling his playing days as an U19 player, the team’s visit was certainly a memorable one.The player’s arrived in style at the ground on a day where there was no match, as they were taken on a guided tour through the ground, museum, long room bar and dressing rooms.Led by Mhatre, the side most recently drew the 1st Youth Test against the hosts at Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham.“It’s a very big moment. One is the history of Lord’s. The second is the many great achievement by our countrymen at Lord’s. It’s good to know the legacy that a place has,” said head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar. The coach also recalled how he himself as an U19 player, once came to visit the venue back in 1994.Sharing his excitement on taking in the storied history of the place, U19 skipper Ayush Mhatre said, “I will never forget this day. It will keep on going in my mind that I want to play at Lord’s one day. I had only seen the stadium before on TV and now I’ve seen it in person,” beamed the teenager, who turned 18 on Wednesday.“It was a very special day for me because I celebrated my birthday and cut the cake at Lord’s. There won’t be a bigger moment in my life. I feel very special,” exclaimed Mhatre.
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The clip also showed 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi taking in the greatness of the venue as he looked at various portraits of players and records set by legendary stars over the years.The Indian team, which lost the Test at Lord’s by 22 runs, will now play the 4th Test at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester starting July 23.
