Don't think U19 final will be a closely contested affair: Raj Kumar Sharma

Raj Kumar Sharma, childhood coach of Virat Kohli on Sunday said that he does not expect the finals of the U19 Cricket World Cup to be closely contested and reckoned that India would win their fifth title comfortably.

"India is definitely the favourites going into the finals of the World Cup. The side has shown great performance throughout the tournament, but, Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly, they have nothing to lose. We have talented players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Priyam Garg. Our bowling is also strong. Sushant, Tyagi have shown great skills with ball in hand," Raj Kumar Sharma told ANI.

"Pressure is always on the bigger team, Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly, they have won all their matches. I don't think the match will be a closely fought affair, I expect India to win the match comfortably," he added.

On the other hand, former cricketer Surinder Khanna said that Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly and it will all boil down to the better team winning the match on the day.

"The team has shown all-round performance in the tournament. Yashasvi Jaiswal is in good form, we have good chances of lifting the trophy, we have a good record in the tournament. Hopefully, we will be triumphant later today," Khanna told ANI.

"We should not underestimate our opponent, Bangladesh has good youth programs in their country and the results have shown. India should play to its potential, cricket is one such game where you need to be better on the day, playing on our strength will hold the key. I wish India all the best," he added.

India thrashed arch-rival Pakistan by ten wickets in the semi-final to chase down a total of 173.

This is India's seventh appearance in the final of the competition while Bangladesh has managed to reach the big stage for the first time.

India has won the tournament four times. They managed to take away the trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018.

On the other hand, Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the semi-final to set up a summit clash with India.