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India have extended their dominance in Under-19 World Cup events with record fifth title win. Yash Dhull-led India beat England by four wickets at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua with the help of terrific performances from Raj Bawa who bagged a record five-wicket haul and Sindhu who soaked up all the pressure to get India over the line with an unbeaten half-century.
Epic collapse
England got off to the worst possible start of a World Cup final after skipper Tom Prest won the toss and elected to bat first. Ravi Kumar got rid of Jacob Bethell and Prest returned back to the dressing room early in the powerplay overs. Opener George Thomas looked ruthless in his approach but could not carry on and got out for 30 to Bawa. The medium pacer inflicted more damage by dismantling English middle order. Bawa got rid of Will Luxton and George Bell off consecutive deliveries. From 47/5, James Rew stood strong but the mini partnerships did not help England regain control. Bawa struck again with Kaushal Tambe supporting him. England found themselves 91/7 in the 25th over and feared getting all out too early.
Rew rescues England
The left-handed batter showed exemplary levels of temperament to get the innings back on track. With James Sales on the other end, Rew looked for scoring opportunities and at one point it even looked like England will cross 200 comfortably. Rew got to his half-century in middle overs and then accelerated. However, just before the slog overs, he lost his wicket and missed out on a well-deserved century. The southpaw scored 95 runs from 116 deliveries laced with 12 boundaries. After Rew’s wicket, Indian bowlers did not let the tailenders add much to the score as Sales remained stranded on the other end. England lost their last three wickets within five runs and got all out for 189 with 31 balls left in the innings.
Shaky start
Chasing a target of 190, India did not get off to an ideal start as they lost opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi for a two-ball duck. Harnoor Singh struggled to score quickly against quality English new-ball bowlers and departed after scoring 21 runs from 46 deliveries. After 17.3 overs, India were well below the asking rate at 49/2.
Another fifty for Rasheed
Once again, all eyes were on Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed who put up a match-winning partnership in the semi-final against Australia. Rasheed got to his half-century but departed soon after. James Sales inflicted more damage as he got rid of Dhull in the next over, reducing India for 97/4 in the 29th over.
Gritty partnership
With four top batters back in the hut, England bowlers had their tails up but Nishant Sindhu and Raj Bawa took a sensible approach and avoided hitting the panic button. The two shared a crucial 67-run partnership for the fifth wicket to get the run chase back on track. Just when India were looking like cruising towards the target, Bawa took the aerial route off the wrong delivery and lost his wicket for 35.
Sindhu holds his nerves
Tambe struggled to get the strike turning over and could score only one run from nine deliveries. Succumbing to pressure, he got out in the 47th over trying to slash the delivery past point fielder. Sindhu carried on and ensured that there is no anti-climax to the game even when English bowlers applied more pressure. However, it was wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Bana who finished the game in style with two consecutive sixes in the 48th over.
6 wins from 6 games
India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. For most part of the tournament, Dhull’s side registered comfortable wins. The only thriller they played in the tournament was in the final against England.
India’s top three batters
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (278 runs from six matches)
Raj Bawa (252 runs from six matches)
Yash Dhull (229 runs from four matches)
India’s top three bowlers
Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal (12 wickets from six matches)
Left-arm fast bowler Ravi Kumar (10 wickets from six matches)
Right-arm fast bowler Raj Bawa (9 wickets from six matches)
India’s title wins
2000: Mohammad Kaif-led India beat Sri Lanka in the final by six wickets.
2008: Virat Kohli-led India beat South Africa by 12 runs.
2012: Unmukt Chand becomes first Indian captain to score a century in the final and register an easy six-wicket win over Australia.
2018: A flawless eight-wicket win by Prithvi Shaw-led India against Australia.
2022: In a closely-fought game, India beat England by six wickets.
