Rahul Dravid’s class of 2016: How U-19 finalists are transitioning to be the next faces of Indian Cricket ft. Rishabh Pant

India may have lost the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru, but there are a lot of positive signs. One of the most endearing sights came when Sarfaraz Khan tried to hit Tim Southee out of the park on the 1st ball after the second new ball was taken. Rishabh Pant walked down the pitch and had a word or two with Sarfaraz to calm him down. 

It was surprising because Rishabh Pant himself is known to use the "Devil may care" attitude with the bat in hand. But the advice from Pant seemed sound just to caution Sarfaraz to not waste the chance he had seized for himself. What made it even more pleasing was that both the young men had come under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid. 

The same Rahul Dravid who not too long ago was the coach of the national side that had won the T20 World Cup. The former Indian skipper was the coach when India under Ishan Kishan reached the finals of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. 

Class of 2016 finally realizing its potential for India

When we speak about Under-19 players our minds drift to the class of 2000 and 2008. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif are the leading lights from the team that won the tournament in 2000. In 2008, the likes of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, and Siddharth Kaul played a key role. 

In 2016 the Indian side under Ishan Kishan played good cricket to reach the finals. New Zealand had 19-year-old Glenn Phillips and 16-year-old Rachin Ravindra who were part of the squad. Injured pacer Ben Sears too was part of the Kiwi squad. 

India had met New Zealand in the tournament and both Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan had scored fifties. That team has thrown a lot of names that have already represented India. if we leave aside Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan, the likes of Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed have donned the Indian colours. 

Washington Sundar has just been called up to the Indian team for the Pune Test after his tremendous performances in the Ranji Trophy. Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed are a huge part of the Indian team setup as backups to be called upon when the team needs them. 

What the class of 2016 is doing is that they are bringing about the transition phase that many Indian fans were worried about. The memories of bad performances post the retirements of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman will not be repeated. Both Pant and Sarfaraz have a few years to learn from Rohit and Virat. 

Ishan Kishan himself is in the process of making his return to the national side after a difficult 12 months. The left-handed batter and wicketkeeper has been in top form with centuries in domestic cricket. Unlike the transition in 2014, the current transition will be much smoother. 

Each of the aforementioned players has a place in the team and knows their role to perfection. Rahul Dravid may be upset with the loss in his home ground. The former Indian stalwart will be smiling knowing that his wards from of class of 2016 are already taking the next big steps in their professional cricket career.