Kathmandu, Feb. 6: The Nepali U19 cricket team, led by Skipper Dev Khanal, returned to Kathmandu on Monday after participating in the ICC U19 World Cup held in South Africa. The team won only one match against Afghanistan in group stage, which qualified them for the Super Six stage. However, they were at the receiving end against Bangladesh and the Indian U19 team in the Super Six stage. Nepal also lost against New Zealand and Pakistan in group stage.

Khanal described the World Cup as a great learning opportunity for his team, adding that they played well overall. He singled out Aakash Chand, Subash Bhandari and Arjun Kumal for their impressive performances, but admitted that senior national team member Gulshan Jha struggled with batting. Although Jha did well in the bowling department, Khanal was disappointed to see him not shine with the bat in the World Cup.

Jha, on the other hand, was happy with his performance, as he did well in the bowling department. He acknowledged that there will always be ups and downs in the game and that it is impossible to always perform well. Coach Jagat Tamata praised his team’s overall performance and expressed confidence in the future of Nepali cricket, as he believes the U19 team has some promising players.