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India's road to U19 World Cup final: Early hiccups for Ayush Mhatre's squad, but team picked up speed at business end
India haven't had the perfect World Cup campaign, but it has been a successful and unbeaten one as they head to the finals against England in Harare.
For the sixth consecutive U19 World Cup, India will have a shot at the title as they reach the finals under the captaincy of Ayush Mhatre. England await in Harare for the winner-take-all contest, and both teams are unbeaten coming off of big results. They have been the best teams in the tournament, but one will fly home disappointed.
Before Friday’s showpiece finale at the Harare Sports Club, here is a refresher on how India performed as they reached the final of this tournament with no notches against their name.
Brief scare in tournament opener vs USA, but IND off to winning start
To get the group stages underway in a very wet Bulawayo, India dismissed the USA cheaply in a game marred by numerous rain delays. Ultimately, when India came to bat, they were jolted early, falling to 25/3. It required some positive batting to reinforce the innings, with Abhigyan Kundu guiding the team home.
Vihaan Malhotra takes 4 wickets as IND hold off Bangladesh
India batted first and scored 238 – not a big score, but a respectable one thanks to Suryavanshi and Kundu’s half-centuries. In response, Bangladesh were 106/2 at one stage and looked to be cruising as they chased a DLS-adjusted target of 165. India’s spinners needed to step up – and step up they did, triggering a collapse with the next 8 wickets for 40 runs. However, India’s batting is becoming a concern; an 18-run win is too close for comfort.
Another rain-affected match, but much more comfortable as India trounced New Zealand
Rounding off the group stages with yet more rain, but no complications this time. The pacers stand up on this occasion to bowl out the Kiwis for 135, and India chase down the DLS target in just about 13 overs thanks to an early blitz by Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. Into the Super Sixes unbeaten.
Malhotra’s ton helps brush aside hosts Zimbabwe by 204 runs
Finally, a match with no rain involved, and India’s vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra makes the most of it. Scoring 109 in the first innings, Malhotra was aided by Kundu’s 62 and a late flurry by Khilan Patel to put on a monster 354 in the first innings. It was always likely to be too much for Zimbabwe at that point; this time, it was captain Ayush Mhatre who rolled his arm over and picked up 3 quick wickets to put India in a decisive position in the tournament.
India gets the job done against arch-rivals Pakistan to beat them to the semifinals
Pakistan needed to beat India by a good margin to recover their NRR deficit and make it to the semifinals. After India only made 252 on a two-paced pitch that had a little bit of something for all the bowlers, Pakistan needed to chase it down inside 33 overs. However, they never really seemed anywhere close to it. Forced to go for broke at the end, a chase which started strong but slow ended up going nowhere, collapsing from 151/2 to 194 all-out. A 38-run win to send India through to the knockouts unbeaten.
India complete record World Cup run-chase thanks to Aaron George’s classy ton
Twin hundreds for Afghanistan in the semifinal gave them a dream start to the semifinal, putting 310 on the board and asking India’s powerful batters to step up. Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George opened the batting and got one early reprieve each – and made Afghanistan pay for it. Suryavanshi blasted 68(33) to provide the platform, Mhatre came in to make 62 of his own and make things a walk in the park. But it was Aaron George, playing some of the most scrumptious shots in the textbook, who scored 115 and was the guiding hand as India completed a record U19 World Cup chase with nearly 9 overs to spare.
