Irfan Pathan knows a thing or two about playing for the U-19 cricket team. The former Indian pacer recently spoke exclusively on Star Sports show Cricket Connected. There he talked about how you can ensure Indian stars of the next generation can stay focussed and deliver to their potential, “We have seen so many Under-19 India players who vanish after playing the U-19 World Cup. They don’t end up fulfilling their potential at the international level which they might have.

He continued, "Also, we have so many cricketers playing the U-19 World Cup and then going on to play for India. In between, there is a bridge which is first-class cricket. I think we need to make sure that you have the right mentality to reach at the bigger level, "at the same time, making your game bigger, I think that’s the biggest challenge any cricketer faces who plays U-19. At the U-19, you need to make sure that you strive to get better as a cricketer. The competition level isn’t the same at the U-19 level, first-class level and at the international level. You need to keep changing your cricketing ability, but at the same time, your mentality as well which is very, very important.”