New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Niki Prasad says lifting the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup trophy for the second time – as the side’s captain – was an experience like no other and that has only sharpened her hunger to keep winning more titles for India in future.

The 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup winning team was among the five champion sides felicitated by the BCCI at the recent annual awards in New Delhi on Sunday. All members and coaches received special medals from former players Sudha Shah and Shubhangi Kulkarni.

“I think that day was pretty special for all of us. Every kid dreams to play for India and for me it was playing for India U19 and also leading. So I think lifting the trophy for the second time felt quite special.

“Now as I look back at it, of course it’s a really memorable day. Even coming over here, I was really excited to be around all the legends. So it was a pretty exciting day,” said Niki in a video posted by the BCCI on their ‘X’ account on Wednesday.

With India winning the Women’s ODI World Cup, Men’s Champions Trophy, Men’s U19 World Cup and Men’s T20 World Cup, Niki said seeing the trophies won by India filled her with immense pride. “Firstly I think I take pride in being Indian and I’m really proud to be Indian.

“Also I think it’s really a very memorable and happy moment to be, not just sharing the U19 World Cup trophy with my own teammates, but also being part of the same calendar year, being part of seeing the women’s team lifting the World Cup and then the men’s one. So I think as an Indian and as a cricketer, I think it’s a really proud moment for me, especially in this calendar year.”

Niki was keen to acknowledge that the BCCI’s sustained investment in youth cricket is a key driver of that success. “I think the BCCI plays a major role in the growth of the Indian team and also the future. They’ve put a lot of vision and a lot of investment in the youth.

“So I think that is obviously going to pay off and we’ve already done that in both men’s and women’s. It’s really important to have that kind of support from the BCCI. I think we’re just going to keep growing from here on.

With Niki plying her trade for Delhi Capitals in WPL and Karnataka in domestic cricket, she said her aim is to get more trophies when she enters the senior team. “For me, it’s not just about playing for India, but it’s about lifting the trophy again and again for India. So that’s my ultimate goal for India. I think my first thought is going to be that we have one common thing – that all of us have one ICC trophy.”

She further talked about how she would chat with senior team captain Harmanpreet Kaur. “Also I think the interaction was going to be quite interesting for me. To just ask about how their experience has been after winning in the T20s and the ODIs. So I think I would probably ask how they must have been feeling.”

Niki signed off by saying the CoE infrastructure gives them the edge to be world-class players. “I think the infrastructure that we have in Bangalore, the COE, the gym facilities and the ground facilities, it’s one of the best in the world.

“So I think that would really help all the youngsters and all the current cricket players to go over there and keep training and keep evolving. So I think that plays a major role in the growth of the Indian cricket team.”

–IANS

nr/