On 2 March 2008, India beat South Africa in a thrilling match to lift the Under-19 ICC World Cup for the second time. Led by Virat Kohli, the U-19 team won the low-scoring final by 12 runs.
The Indian side featured Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who would later go on to be a part of the national team. Image Courtesy: ICC
The game was played in the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Indian side featured Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who would later go on to be a part of the national team.
Batting first, India struggled against the South African bowlers, and was bowled out for just 159 in 45.4 overs. The highest scorer for India was Tanmay Srivastava (46). The middle-order, including U-19 skipper Kohli himself, failed to capitalise on decent starts and got dismissed cheaply.
Proteas bowlers Wayne Parnell, Matthew Arnold and Roy Adams scalped two wickets each. Yaseen Vallie and Pieter Malan also picked up wickets. Skipper Parnell was the best bowler for South Africa, with figures of 2/21 in just 7.4 overs.
As rain delayed the start of the second innings, South Africa was given a revised target of 116 runs in 25 overs. Defending a low target, Indian bowlers kept their cool and steadily demolished the opposition’s batting line-up.
The opening order of the Proteas crumbled soon, with the team floundering at 22/4 in 10.3 overs.
While Reeza Hendricks and skipper Parnell tried to keep the momentum going, they were no match for the Indian bowling side. The Proteas could score only 103 runs in 25 overs, and lost the game by 12 runs.
Indian pacer Ajitesh Argal performed brilliantly, giving away just seven runs in his five-over spell. The right-arm medium pacer also scalped the wickets of Rilee Rossouw and Pieter Malan. For his performance, Argal was awarded the Man of the Match. Ravindra Jadeja and Siddharth Kaul also scalped two wickets each.
It was the second time that India lifted the coveted trophy after their maiden title in 2000. After this, India has won the ICC U-19 World Cup three more times in 2012, 2018 and 2022, making it the only team to win the title five times.
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