Three needed. One ball left. The last pair at the crease. Mohit Ulva's boundary gave India the Under-19 Asia Cup. Now comes another challenge: helping this teenager turn an extraordinary finish into a lasting career.
In Saturday's final, his unbeaten 49 from 26 balls against Pakistan brought a journey through village cricket, demanding training and Saurashtra's junior teams into the spotlight.
Surendranagar roots, Jamnagar training
Born on 30 November 2007 in Surendranagar, Gujarat, Ulva began with tennis-ball cricket. His father, who works with the Railway Protection Force, encouraged academy training. At Jamnagar's Cricket Bungalow, he trained under Mahendrasinh Chauhan, whose pupils include Ravindra Jadeja.
Ulva initially bowled off-spin. Chauhan encouraged a switch to pace; the youngster developed as a right-arm medium pacer and right-handed batter, progressing through Saurashtra's age-group cricket to India Under-19.
Chauhan told The Indian Express about building Ulva's physical and mental strength. He also explained that batting at number ten reflected India's combination rather than the full extent of Ulva's batting ability.
The earlier performances worth remembering
Against Australia Under-19 in the first Youth Test at Rajkot, Ulva scored 92 from 84 balls, with ten fours and four sixes, and took 3/37 in the first innings. That was substantial batting alongside a bowling contribution in a longer contest.
In this Asia Cup against the UAE, he made seven not out from two balls, finishing with a six, then took India's first wicket. The final's lower-order resistance had a background.
His bowling day did not define his whole final
Ulva's bowling figures against Pakistan were 0/57 from eight overs. Later, he found another way to influence the result.
For me, this matters. An all-round cricketer must stay available after disappointment. Ulva remained unbeaten through a chase with almost no room for error.
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