India 'A' commence their six-week cricket tour of England with a one-day match against British Universities at Durham on Wednesday, rekindling fond memories of this day two decades ago when India registered their only World Cup title triumph at the Lord's.
"On June 25, twenty years back we won the World Cup. It brings back great memories when we open the tour," India 'A' coach Sandeep Patil, who was a member of the victorious Indian World Cup team in 1983, said on Monday night.
The team will play 11 matches but the one it will most eagerly looked forward to is the one against the touring South Africans, at Arundel, a three-day game starting on July 19.
Stating that it is a golden chance for the talented youngsters to prove their mettle, as the selectors are looking to build a team for the next World Cup, Patil indicated that those who do well on the tour have very good chance of making it to the national team.
"It is up to these players to grab these opportunities," he said.
Barring medium pacer Aavishkar Salvi, who had split the web of his palm earlier, all are fully fit.
"Even Salvi is also fit to play the first match, but we will take a decision on the day of the match," the coach said.
Stating that the team's "prospects on the tour are good", Samiran Chakraborty, team manager termed it a balanced side.
"The boys are fully motivated and raring to go," Chakraborty said.
Patil said he always considers an England tour a good lesson for youngsters to establish themselves.
"I started my cricketing career here in 1979. Now I am here in a different capacity. It is a good challenge and good opportunity for all the 16 players.
"We have a very talented and experienced team and 12 members have already played for the country in one-dayers or Test matches."
He also pointed out that for the first time two different captains have been named on one tour - S S Das for longer version of the game and Hemang Badani for the one-dayers.
Parthiv Patil, who has already established himself as the "best wicket keeper" in the country, will have the opportunity to come good as a batsman, Patil said.
"England offers so many different challenges, specially the weather which differs from session to session. You have to change your style accordingly," he said.
"We are hoping to put up a good show. It is not proper to comment about the outcome of the tour in advance."
He said the team had a good 18-day camp in Bangalore before it left for the United Kingdom. "We had a good rest here before we commence the tour with a match against British Universities at Durham and there is no room for any complaints," he said.
Patil said he considered himself privileged to get the job as coach immediately after his return from his assignment in Kenya.
"I made myself available to the Indian cricket Board and it has come as a pleasant surprise. It is an opportunity for me as well. It is a new challenge for all of us."
Team: Shiv Sunder Das, Hemang Badani, Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Sanjay Parab, S Sriram, A T Rayudu, Rohan Gavaskar, Vijay Bharadwaj, L Balaji, Avishkar Salvi, Irfan Pathan, Amit Bhandari, Murali Kartik, Parthiv Patel and Amit Mishra.
