With four ICC Under-19 World Cups, team Indian have been the most successful side in the history of the tournament. They have made it to the final in the ongoing one as well, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinal.

However, a stark contrast from their performance at the tournament is the fact India have never hosted the U19 World Cup. There are rumours which suggest that BCCI has not shown interest to stage the tournament because it does not fetch a lot of profits.

But two former senior officials of the cricket board have said otherwise. On being asked the reason for India not hosting the ICC U19 World Cup, former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhury and former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah have said that it was not due to the lack of the revenue.

“This question should be directed to the ICC. It depends on them how they wish to host and promote the U-19 World Cup. I don’t think a lack of profitability is a reason behind India not hosting it. The BCCI has been spending crores on domestic cricket, which is a non-profitable venture. The U19 World Cup not being held in India is more of an ICC matter than the BCCI being reluctant.” The New Indian Express quoted Chaudhury as saying.

“The ICC’s Executive Board takes the call on the allocation of World Cups. The last time this was done was in 2014 when the cycle for 2015-2023 was announced. It appears that the BCCI never expressed willingness to host the junior event,” he added.

Shah, on the other hand, said that India not hosting the tournament has helped the young cricketers in their development as they have succeeded in foreign conditions repeatedly. Also, he believes taking the tournament to countries like Malaysia and UAE also helps promote the sport of cricket.

“I don’t think we have anything against the U-19 World Cup. Lack of revenue is not the reason. It’s just that it is still to come to India. On the other hand, it has been good for our boys that they have won it in conditions they don’t encounter at home. It helps in their development. And taking it to places like Malaysia and UAE helps the promotion of the game,” he said.

Riding on an unbeaten century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, India U-19 on Tuesday beat Pakistan U-19 by 10 wickets in the first semifinal of the 2020 ICC U-19 World Cup at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom.