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ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner. India are the defending champions of the tournament and will look to bring the trophy home for the sixth time. Before India start their title defense, here is a brief recap of the last edition of the youth event.
Under-19 World Cup 2022 was played in the West Indies. This was the 14th edition of the event. It kicked off on January 14 and the final was played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on February 5.
Group stage matches
India were placed in Group B alongside South Africa, Ireland and Uganda. India started their campaign against South Africa at Providence Stadium, Guyana. Skipper Yash Dhull starred with an 82-run knock. India were bowled out for 232 from 46.5 overs. Despite a 65-run knock by Dewald Brevis aka 'Baby AB', South Africa lost by 45 runs. Vicky Ostwal registered a five-wicket haul whereas Raj Bawa took four wickets. South Africa were bowled out for 187 in 45.4 overs.
In their second match at group stage, half-centuries from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harnoor Singh followed by a cameo from Rajvardhan Hangargekar helped India post 307/5. Ireland lost their top order early and were bowled out for 133 in 39 overs. India won the match by a big margin of 174 runs.
India's last group stage clash was against Uganda. Raghuvanshi and Bawa smashed Uganda bowlers all around the park. Raghuvanshi scored 144 runs from 120 balls whereas Bawa remained unbeaten for 162 from 108 balls featuring eight sixes. India posted a mammoth total of 405/5 on the board. Nishant Sindhu picked up a four-wicket haul as Uganda were bundled out for 79 in 19.4 overs, losing the match by 326 runs.
Knocking out defending champions
In the quarter-final clash, India went up against defending champions Bangladesh. Indian bowlers delivered a clinical performance to bowl out Bangladesh for 111 in 37.1 overs. India chased down the total with 19.1 overs to spare and five wickets in hand despite Ripon Mondol's four-wicket haul.
Humbling the Aussies
In the semifinal, India faced the mighty Australians. Shaik Rasheed missed his century by just six runs whereas skipper Dhull smashed a run-a-ball 110. Dinesh Bana finished with a flurry as India posted 290/5 on the board. Australian batters were not up for a chase. Lachlan Shaw was the top-scored with a 51-run knock. Australia were bowled out for 194 in 41.5 overs, losing the match by 96 runs.
Dominating performance in final
India faced England in the final as the latter were looking to register their first title win since 1998. Indian bowlers did not let England post a big total despite James Rew's 95-run knock. Ravi picked up four wickets whereas Bawa registered a five-wicket haul. England were bowled out for 189 in 44.5 overs. In the run chase, Indian batters struggled to score freely. Rasheed scored a half-century but he departed at the halfway stage. In the end, Sindhu's unbeaten half-century and Bana's cameo helped India get over the line with four wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare. This was India’s fifth Under-19 World Cup title win, the most by far for any side.
Top performers
India's fast-bowling all-rounder Bawa was named the 'Player of the match' for his five-wicket haul in the final followed by a crucial 35-run knock in the run chase.
On the other hand, the 'Player of the tournament' award was won by South Africa's Brevis even when they failed to qualify for the semifinals. He broke Shikhar Dhawan's record for most runs in a single edition. From six innings, he scored 506 runs at an average of 84.33 including two centuries and three half-centuries.
While Brevis scored the most runs, Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage took the most wickets in the tournament. He had 17 scalps from six innings at an average of 13.69 including two five-wicket hauls. Wellalage went on to play for Sri Lanka’s senior side in Test and ODI formats.
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