As the India Under-19 boys gear up for the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia, one name attracting particular attention is vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra. The highly rated young batter will be keen to emulate a remarkable feat achieved 25 years ago by his coach, Ravneet Ricky. A member of India’s triumphant side at the inaugural U-19 World Cup in 2000, Ricky finished that tournament as the leading run-scorer for India with 340 runs. Now, his protégé hopes to script a similar chapter at the junior level.
A technically correct opener blessed with a calm temperament, the 19-year-old from Patiala has already made significant strides in his career. The youngster recently landed an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He can contribute handy off-breaks, and has repeatedly shown his ability to perform under pressure – most notably with a sublime 108 against Australia.
Ricky first identified Malhotra’s potential nearly three years ago during his stint in charge of Punjab’s Under-16 side.
“I first saw Vihaan when I was the head coach of the Punjab U-16 team,” Ricky told RevSportz. “That season, Punjab won the Vijay Merchant Trophy and Vihaan scored 970 runs. From that moment, I felt he had an X-factor and the potential to go much further.”
What immediately stood out was Vihaan’s consistency and composure in high-stakes encounters.
“Right from the beginning, I felt he (Vihaan) was special,” said Ricky. “He was confident and delivered in crucial games. His double-hundred in the Vijay Merchant Trophy semi-final against Mumbai really showed his big-match ability.”
Vihaan’s journey, however, was not without disruption. The Covid-affected 2020 season led to the cancellation of Punjab’s U-16 tournaments, although the team travelled to Gujarat for practice matches and the Reliance G1 tournament. That tournament was later cancelled as well due to Omicron. The same batch continued the following year, and Vihaan came back much more mature.
The subsequent season proved to be a breakthrough. Malhotra amassed 970 runs and played a decisive role in Punjab’s Vijay Merchant Trophy triumph. His performances earned him the BCCI Best Junior Batsman of the Year award for 2021–22.
“That batch had many talented players,” said Ricky. “Anmoljeet took 65 wickets, Rahul Kumar was excellent, and several of them are now playing with me at the U-19 level.”
He added, “Vihaan’s biggest strength lies beyond just technique. He is a very keen learner. He listens carefully and adapts quickly. He reads the game and situations very well. Even when he’s not scoring, he contributes to the team. He’s also a good fielder and inspires others.”
A left-hander, Malhotra has long drawn inspiration from Yuvraj Singh. “I was a batchmate of Yuvraj and played the 2000 U19 World Cup with him,” said Ricky. “Vihaan has always admired Yuvraj and wanted to play like him.”
There were some concerns over Malhotra’s fitness in the lead-up to the U19 World Cup, but Ricky remains confident.
“He’s at the CoE for rehab, and I don’t see it as serious,” said Ricky. “Vihaan himself says he’s perfectly fine, so I believe he’ll recover fully.”
Despite a modest outing at the recent U-19 Asia Cup, Ricky is convinced that his ward will rise to the occasion. The former U19 World Cup winner believes the final piece of the puzzle for Vihaan lies in mental strength.
According to Ricky, “Technically, he’s very sound. The main focus should be mindset and handling pressure. I tell him not to try anything extra – just play for India the way he played for Punjab.”
Having worked closely with several members of the current squad since their U-16 days, Ricky is bullish about India’s prospects.
“I’ve seen players like Abhigyan Kundu, Ayush Mhatre, Keelan Patel and Vidhan Trivedi grow over the years,” he said. “India has a very strong team. I truly believe this is the best side, and India will win the World Cup.”
If Vihaan can convert his promise into performances on the world stage, he may well follow in his coach’s footsteps and lift the U-19 World Cup trophy, while also announcing himself as a future star of Indian cricket.
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