School Games Federation of India President CL Negi told reporters in Dubai that South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia were the other bidders for the event.
However, he felt that England would, in all probability, host the next tournament because of a contract signed between the English Schools Cricket Council, the organisers, and Lombard, the main sponsor.
``Some of the countries felt the tournament should be held once every two years, while others wanted it to be staged every four years,'' Negi said. ``A final decision on this is yet to be taken.''
The I ndian juniors, and the officials accompanying them, arrived in Dubai Thursday on their way back home and are being feted like heroes by the Indian community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Soon after their arrival, the team, led by Reetinder Sodhi, was drawn into a whirl of felicitations and receptions, both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The schoolboys had beaten Pakistan at Lord's in a final that was marred by pitch invasions by the crowd. Earlier, in the semi finals, they had overcome South Africa in what was one of the best matches of the turnament.
Indian skipper Reetinder Sodhi, a student of the Yadvindra College, Patiala, said that it was a scary experience. ``When we were nearing victory, the unruly crown ran in, uprooted the stumps, threw tins and used abusive language towards us,'' Sodhi recalled.
His team-mate Mahajan, a student of Parvati Jain Senior School, Jalandhar, said that ``They made threatening gestures, we thought it best to make a beeline to the pavilion for safety.''
Asked if playing the final against Pakistan had created any tension, Sodhi said, ``The players were a bit tense on the morning of the final, but we knew we could do it, we just put our heads down and concentrated on what we had to do.''
India were drawn with England, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Canada in Group A of the tournament, while Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Holland and Sri Lanka were placed in group B.
``Our victory was the result of the hard work put in by the players and the coach,'' Negi said. Coach Talwar, for his part, said that the team's basic strategy was to try and chase runs instead of batting first, given the limitations of its bowlers.
He said some players like Sodhi, vice-captain Mohammed Kaif, Pradeep Chawla, Ishan Ganda and Rajiv Arora had come up with outstanding performances in the tournament.
According to him, the decision to promote tail-ender Chawla to the pinch-hitting position at number three paid off well.
``In the final analysis, every player contributed to our success. All the 14 players are stars,'' he said.
Negi said Indian High Commissioner in London LM Singhvi had hosted a reception for the team after the final and also presented the players with 300 pounds each and other gifts.
The School Games Federation also announced an award of Rs 15,000 to each of the players.
Negi said a West Indies Under-19 team will tour India next January and play a series of three-day and one-day matches in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Indore, Calcutta, Delhi and Punjab.
``I hope there will be more takers for schools cricket after our victory,'' he said.
The Under-15 World Cup was the brainchild of David English, a former first class cricketer in England and author of many books. It was organised by the English Schools Cricket Council with assistance from the Test and Country Cricket Board.
Coach Talwar said the tournament provided a great opportunity for young cricketers. ``In our schooldays, we could never imagine playing at Lord's,'' he remarked.
In Dubai, the Indian Sports Club hosted a reception for the team on Thursday night, while another function will be held by the Indian Social Centre in Abu Dhabi Friday night.
The juniors also played a 20-over-a-side friendly match against their UAE hosts, the New Medical Centre, in Abu Dhabi Friday afternoon. Indian Ambassador to the UAE, M P M Menon, also met the players and officials in Abu Dhabi.