Fans, cameras, attention

Chaos broke loose at the Kinrara Oval the moment Siddarth Kaul bowled Bradley Barnes to win India the final by 12 runs. A sizeable number of fans leapt over the boundary boards and invaded the field to congratulate the Indian players. The organisers haven't had to deal with large numbers right through the tournament and the security was sparse. The players were too busy celebrating a hard-fought win and did not see the crowd coming. Soon they were engulfed. Their thorough preparations had overlooked the best way to escape untouched in the event of a World Cup victory. A look at old video tapes of 1983 would have helped immensely.

Virat Kohli had his shirt tugged. I think he lost his cap as well and security personnel had to drag him away from the fans. Virat had been bursting with excitement moments before but looked shaken as he walked off. It was the same with the other players as they struggled to get off the field on their own, needing to be pried away from the mob by security men. Then it began to rain really hard.

The presentation ceremony was supposed to take place on the ground but the wet weather and the Indian fan contingent, who had by now surrounded the boundary line in front of the dressing rooms and pavilion, forced a change of plan. The trophies and speeches were given in a hurry just outside the dressing-room tents with journalists squeezing into every inch of available space for sound bytes and photographs.

Once the Indian players got together, they too broke out into wild celebrations in front of a crowd that screamed patriotic chants and requested for autographs. The players duly obliged. Several of them were on their phones, although whether they could hear the congratulatory messages over the din was doubtful. The party went into the dressing room, then they came back outside, it died down for a bit and then picked up again. The players were lapping it up and couldn't get enough of the camera attention. They wanted to be snapped with India flags draped around their shoulders, they wanted pictures with the trophy - it was a once in a lifetime experience and they were making the most of it. You couldn't help but smile at the Under-19ness of the whole situation. One journalist felt it was rather over the top but you have to remember that they were just teenagers and for many of them this will rank as the greatest achievement of their lives.

Virat, Dav Whatmore and Ajitesh Argal addressed a press conference shortly afterwards with the trophy sitting on the table in front of them. The Indian board had announced a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh (about US$37,500) for each of the players. Virat smiled and said that he intended to buy a luxury car when he got back and the extra cash would be welcome. After the press conference the captain and coach were hot properties among the numerous TV crews that had descended from India especially for the final two games. The rest of the team weren't to be seen with all the security around but from the noise coming from the Indian dressing room, you could sense that this was the beginning of a night-long party.