Ahmedabad: With India staring down the barrel at 252/8, chasing a mammoth 338 set by Pakistan in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup final at Al Amerat in Oman, hardly anyone would have bet on India to smash 86 off 51 balls and pull off a final-ball win. But the lithe Mohit Ulva (49 off 26b; 5×4, 3×6) had other ideas. Channelling his inner Carlos Brathwaite, he smashed the opposition bowlers all over the park to bring the equation down to eight off six balls. Despite a reasonably decent final over by Ahmed Hussain in which the leg-spinner restricted Ulva and number 11 Chigurupati Venkata (11 off 8b; 2×4) to singles off the first five balls, the Surendranagar-born all-rounder held his nerve. He danced down the wicket and smashed the last ball to the wide long-off boundary to spark off delirious scenes in the Indian camp.Mohit’s journey began under the tutelage of Mahendrasinh Chauhan, the coach of Ravindra Jadeja. After his father, Mahesh Ulva, a cop with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) posted in Jamnagar, found the initial cricketing spark in him, he sent Mohit to train under Chauhan. “He trained under me for four to five years. At that time, you hardly have an idea whether he is going to play for the country or not. But he maintained good fitness. He started off by bowling spin before I told him to bowl pace. He trained well, maintained discipline, never complained when I made him do the extra yards, and the result is there to see,” Chauhan told TOI.After Mahesh got transferred to Rajkot, his training base shifted to the Railway Cricket Ground in Rajkot under Firoz Bhambaniya and Pratik Mehta. His father told TOI, “There can be no moment more proud for us than this — our son hitting the winning runs to take India to a win, which looked improbable when he came to the crease. When I noticed him playing gully cricket, he played better than others. I took him to Mahendrasinhji, who instilled discipline in him and honed his skills. Thereafter, after shifting to Rajkot, his struggles and sustained training helped him excel in age-group cricket.”The Saurashtra Cricket Association too hailed his knock. “His fearless batting, exceptional temperament and ability to perform under immense pressure proved instrumental in guiding India across the finishing line and securing the coveted championship,” the SCA said in a statement.Effusive in Mohit’s praise was none other than the head coach of the U-19 team, Yere Goud. “What was special about this knock is he didn’t panic despite the fact that only singles were scored off the first five balls. He backed himself, anticipated the bowler’s line and length to smash a boundary off the last ball and cap off a come-from-behind win,” Goud told TOI.Further reflecting on the 18-year-old’s abilities, the former Ranji Trophy player said, “His abilities – to play anchor or to go for big-hitting – were known to us. He showed similar traits against the visiting Australian U-19 team.”Asked about the conversation the team management had with Mohit before his arrival at the crease, Goud quipped, “We told him it was important to take the game deep. Pakistan was short on time for completing the overs. They had to bowl the part-time spinner in the last five overs. Mohit had a clear plan about his batting. The important aspect about his batting was that he hit in the ‘V’.”Pakistan, after winning the toss, rode on a century by opener Usman Khan (107) and half-centuries from Abdul Qadir (80) and captain Farhan Yousuf (63), to post 337/9 in 50 overs. In pursuit, India captain Lakshya Raichandani (80), Aaryavir Sehwag (58) and meaningful contributions from Manal Chauhan (47 off 32b; 3×4, 3×6) and other middle-order batters helped India pull off a heist.
