India have been declared winners of the Under-19 Tri-series, involving hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka, after the final against South Africa at Johannesburg was washed out due to rain, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) said in a statement.
The team, led by Ashok Menaria,
finished the tournament with 13 points, way ahead of South Africa’s six and Sri Lanka's five. Medium pacer Saurabh Netrawalkar was declared the Player of the Series for his consistency with the new ball. He produced his best performance in the second league game against Sri Lanka where he returned figures of 5-26, helping India bowl out the opposition for a paltry 52.
India beat Sri Lanka twice and South Africa once in the league matches, while their second league game against the home team, prior to the final, was also washed out.
The three teams will now fly to New Zealand for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2010. India are the defending world champions and this performnace would further boost their chances of defending the title.