India triumphed three years ago on February 5, yet another occasion when it can claim supremacy in Under-19 cricket. An additional historic occasion during this 14th edition of the ICC tournament, held in the West Indies in 2020, would also be remembered, for it was India’s fifth successive appearance in the final of the tournament. They had come into this event as the finalists of the 2020 edition, where they lost to Bangladesh by three wickets.
With an imposing English side awaiting in the final, India, as they were called, appeared unaffected. They displayed skill and character in the holding firm to beat it in Antigua and Barmuda by four wickets.
The stage was set for an exciting finish, with Vivian Richards Stadium hosting the grand finale. After winning the toss, England opted to bat first in the hope of setting what could be an unreachable target.
The Englishmen received a decent start by George Thomas and Jacob Bethell, who opened the innings. Things began to unfold towards the end of the second over on the penultimate ball when Jacob Bethell got out for just two runs. Seminal moments came from Ravi Kumar, as he provided India with an important breakthrough. Taking out England’s upper order, he had the captain Tom Prest sent back on a duck.
Raj Bawa then joined in, taking the wickets of George Thomas, William Luxton, George Bell, and Rehan Ahmed in quick succession. The English side found themselves in deep trouble with their scoreboard reading 91 for seven after 25 overs.
James Rew rescued England’s innings with a knock of 95 runs that helped his team post a total of189 runs on the board. The target was not unachievable, but the pressure of World Cup finals made it very nervous for a team of such calibre, especially against England’s bowling attack.
India’s innings suffered an early blow when Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed for a duck. India, however, remained composed amidst the initial jolts as wickets kept tumbling at crucial junctures. Partnerships were shared in the middle order to steer the innings forward that combined maturity and calculated aggression.
Read Also:- Prithvi Shaw gives Team India their fourth Under-19 World Cup
Half-centuries from Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu added valuable runs. The duo exhibited calmness and steadfastness chipping away at the target instead of succumbing to the pressure, which was a testimony to the all-around strength of the team.
Dinesh Bana guided India over the finish line on the fourth delivery of the 48th over. With one clean hit over the long-on rope, Bana sealed India’s fifth crown in the U19 tournament. Raj Bawa was adjudged the Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul and 35 runs.
