Under-19 WC, India beat Australia to reach final: Key takeaways
Yash Dhull-led Team India on Wednesday defeated Australia Under-19 by 96 runs in the Super League second semi-final at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, to qualify for the final. India have reached their fourth consecutive final at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final. India will next take on England in the final on Saturday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.
- It was a clinical performance from India.
- Indian batters did well to pile up 290 runs in their quota of overs and then the bowlers did their job.
- Australia were never in the chase as they kept losing wickets at the regular interval.
- India's fourth successive WC appearance is also a testimony of BCCI's hard work in developing junior cricket structure in the country.
Batting first, India posted 290/5 in 50 overs. Yash Dhull top-scored with 110 runs while Shaik Rasheed smashed 94. Jack Nisbet and William Salzmann picked two wickets each while conceding 41 and 57 runs respectively. In response, Australia managed 194/10 in 41.5 overs. Lachlan Shaw scored 51 runs. Vicky Ostwal picked three wickets while Nishant Sindhu and Ravi Kumar picked two wickets each.
Yash Dhull led from the front by smashing a century to guide his side to the summit clash. Dhull's talent and class were on full display during his run-a-ball 110. His knock was laced with 10 fours and one six. It came on the back of his 82-run knock against South Africa and unbeaten 20 against Bangladesh in quarters.
Shaik Rasheed announced his arrival on the big stage by smashing a hard-fought 94 runs off 108 balls in the semis. Rasheed's knock was studded with eight fours and one six. He was involved in a match-winning 204-run stand for the third wicket with Dhull. Rasheed's inability to reach the three-digit mark was among the few disappointments for India.
India have qualified for their fourth consecutive final at the Under-19 World Cup. They reached the final of the previous three WCs but have managed to clinch the trophy just once. India lost the trophy to West Indies in 2016 and were beaten by Bangladesh in 2020. India won the 2018 WC by defeating Australia in the final. Overall, they have won four titles.
Dhull could be the most sought-after player from the Under-19 squad during the Indian Premier League (IPL) players' auction. He has scored 202 runs in three games. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (278) is India's leading run-getter, while Raj Bawa (217) is another batter to watch out for. Awais Ali has picked 14 wickets, including a fifer, while Vicky Ostwal has 12 scalps under his name.
Sri Lanka U-19 will square off against Pakistan U-19 for the fifth Place Playoff on Thursday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. South Africa U-19 will lock horns with Bangladesh U-19 for the seventh Place Playoff at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua.
