India lifted their fifth U-19 World Cup with a win over England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, on Saturday.
After the heartbreak of 2020, where they lost to Bangladesh in the final, they reclaimed the trophy with a brilliant performance in 2022.
They dominated the tournament, winning all the matches. They started off with a comfortable win over South Africa. Then they were hit by COVID-19 as captain Yash Dhull, vice Captain Shaik Rasheed and four other team members tested positive and missed the remaining two group games.
India though remained unfazed and thumped Ireland and Uganda to top the group. They then achieved a hard-fought win over Bangladesh in the quarter-finals before thumping Australia in the semi-finals. They then trumped England in the final to lift the crown.
The Yash Dhull led side followed the footsteps of 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018 winning teams and lifted a record-extending fifth trophy.
Here’s a comprehensive look at their journey to the 2022 U-19 World Cup title:
Group stage: India beat South Africa by 45 runs
India started off with a convincing win over South Africa at the Providence Stadium, Guyana. Though their batting stuttered, their bowlers stepped up to the occasion and delivered the goods. After being put in to bat, India lost openers Harnoor Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi inside six overs. However, captain Dhull stepped up and steadied the ship scoring 82, en route stitching crucial partnerships and achieving India some respectability. India were bowled out for 232.
In reply, all-rounder Raj Bawa and left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal scythed through the South African middle order to bowl them out for 187. Dewald Brevis was South Africa’s lone fighter with 65. Ostwal finished with figures of 5/28 while Bawa had figures of 4/47. That win set the tone for the tournament.
Group stage: India beat Ireland by 174 runs
India were dealt with a blow ahead of their second match as captain Dhull, vice-captain Sheikh Rasheed, Aaradhya Yadav, Vasu Vats, Manav Parakh, and Siddharth Yadav tested positive for COVID-19. Batting all-rounder Nishant Sindhu captained the team in absence of Dhull. India though remained unfazed as the batters upped the tempo. Openers Raghuvanshi (79) and Harnoor (88) provided India the perfect platform after being put in to bat by Ireland as they put on a 164-run stand for the opening wicket. The middle-order took over the mantle from the openers and propelled India to 307/5.
In reply, left-arm seamer Ravi Kumar provided India the perfect start by removing opener Liam Doherty in the fourth over. Ireland collapsed from there on as India kept chipping away at the wickets. Almost all bowlers contributed as they bundled Ireland out for 133.
Harnoor was named the player of the match for his 101-ball 88.
Group stage: India beat Uganda by 326 runs
This was India’s biggest win in the tournament. Raghuvanshi took over from where he left off in the last match against Ireland as he hit a mammoth 144 off 120 balls after Uganda opted to put India into bat. Though Harnoor and captain Sindhu didn’t contribute much, Bawa gave solid support to Raghuvanshi and hit a blistering 162 off 108 balls, adding 296 runs off 140 balls with opener Raghuvanshi. India posted a mammoth 405/5.
It was always going to be an improbable task for Uganda and they succumbed to the left-arm spin of Nishant Sidhu, who ripped through their middle and lower-middle order to finish with 4/19 as India bundled Uganda out for 79 to top the table in the group stage.
Quarter-final: India beat Bangladesh by 5 wickets
India received a shot in the arm ahead of the game as Dhull and Rasheed returned after recovering from COVID-19 but the Sindhu who stood in for Dhull missed out as he tested positive for COVID-19.
India avenged the 2020 U-19 final World Cup loss by clinching a hard-fought win over Bangladesh. They were made to work hard but this is where they showed that they can ace pressure situations and find a way through. Opting to bowl first, Ravi provided India the perfect start, ripping through the opposition’s top order and reducing them to 14/3.
The spinners then carried on the good work and bowled Bangladesh out for 111. Bangladesh wouldn’t have crossed 100 but for the contributions of SM Meherob who was their highest run-getter in the innings with 30 from 48 balls, coming in at 8.
The Bangladesh pacers started off aggressively and had Harnoor back in the hut in the second over with nothing on the board. However, Raghuvanshi held fort at one end, saw off the tough period, built a 70-run stand with Rasheed to steady the ship. India however suffered a mini-collapse going from 70/1 to 82/4. However, captain Dhull kept his calm and played a nice little cameo of 26-ball 20 to soak the pressure and take India past the finish line.
Semi-final: India beat Australia by 96 runs
This was another challenging task. Australia had a formidable side. However, India came into the match on the back of five consecutive wins over the Aussies in the U-19 World Cup. And they continued their domination with a thumping win.
Electing to bat first, India didn’t get off to a good start as they lost Raghuvanshi and Harnoor in a cautious start at 37/2 in the 13th over. The ever-reliable Dhull then brought stability as he stitched a 204-run stand with Rasheed. They took a cautious route, built the partnership and then accelerated. Dhull again aced the pressure situation as he hit a run a ball 110 while Rasheed missed out on his ton by just six runs. The lower-middle order provided a crucial late flourish which saw Dinesh Bana hit 20 off 4 balls, including 27 in the last over as India posted a competitive 290/5.
In big matches, there is always the added pressure while chasing. And the Aussies succumbed to that pressure as opener Teague Wyllie walked back in the second over, trapped in front by Ravi with his trademark inswinger. Corey Miller and captain Cooper Connolly steadied proceedings with a 68-run stand but Sindhu, who was back after recovering from COVID-19, broke the stand in the 17th over.
It sparked a mini-collapse as the spinners scythed through the middle order. Australia went from 71/1 to 125/7; Lachlan Shaw battled it out in the middle with a 66-ball 51 but in vain as India bowled Australia out for 194 and win the match by 96 runs.
Dhull was named the player of the match for his fantastic century. This was India’s sixth consecutive win over the Aussies in the U-19 World Cup as they cruised into their fourth straight final.
Final: India beat England by four wickets
While all the eyes were on India’s spin attack vs the England batters, it was the pacers who stepped up in the final and grabbed the limelight. On a good batting wicket, England opted to bat but got off to a poor start as left-arm seamer Ravi Kumar swung the ball early and sent back Jacob Bethell and Tom Prest inside the first four overs.
All-rounder Raj Bawa then put on an exhibition of seam and seam bowling as he ripped through the England middle order to reduce them to 91/7. Amid the carnage, James Rew stood strong, steadied the ship and revived England somewhat with a crucial 93-run stand with James Sales.
Rew though missed out narrowly on his century (95) as Ravi Kumar came back to pick up two wickets in the 44th over to break the stand before Bawa picked the last wicket of Joshua Boyden to become the first Indian bowler to register a five-for in a U-19 World Cup final.
Chasing the target, India suffered an early setback as the inform Angkrish Raghuvanshi departed for a duck off just the second ball of the innings. Opener Harnoor Singh and Shaik Rasheed took control of the proceedings with a 49-run stand. However, Harnoor departed for 21.
Another small partnership between Rasheed and Dhull developed. Rasheed was looking good in the middle but a rash shot brought his downfall as he miscued one off Sales on 50. Dhull departed two runs later. India were in a tricky position at 97/4. However, Nishant Sindhu and Bawa got together and played with confidence to put on a crucial 67-run stand to take India closer.
Bawa couldn’t finish it off but Sindhu held his nerve and scored 50 not out off 54, before Dinesh Bana finished it off in style with two sixes to spark wild celebrations.
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