U19 Asia Cup Final: India U19 beat Sri Lanka U19 to clinch the title
India continued to dominate the tournament with a record eighth title by beating Sri Lanka via the Duckworth-Lewis method by nine wickets in the rain-battered U19 Asian Cup final on Friday. Indian bowlers were in full swing in the final, taking seven wickets for just 74 runs in 33 overs when play was stopped due to rain. The match was reduced to 38-38 overs when the match resumed after a two-hour hiatus due to heavy rain at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here.
Sri Lanka made 106 times nine during this period. India achieved the revised goal of 102 runs in 38 overs using the Duckworth-Lewis method. The team did it by losing a wicket in 21.3 overs to starter Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s undefeated 56 of 67 balls. Sheikh Rashid was undefeated on the 31st. Previously, Sri Lankan batsmen had no answer for the spinners’ bowling balls after the brilliant performance of the Indian fast bowlers.
For India, the left arm Vicky Ostwal roulette took three wickets for 11 runs, while the Kushal Tambe roulette had two hits. India’s only defeat in the competition was against archrival Pakistan. The Pakistan team lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-finals. The tournament provided a good opportunity for the team led by Yash Dhull to play competitive matches on the field before the U-19 World Cup, which kicks off on January 14 in the West Indies.
Raghuvanshi and Rashid established an unbroken 96-run partnership for the second wicket to win the team after the tournament’s top run scorer, Harnoor Singh (five), returned cheaply to the pavilion. Raghuvanshi, who scored fewer runs in recent matches, seemed to be in full swing in the final. He gained confidence by playing a back foot punch early in innings. During this, he played strong shots to the rear foot against fast bowlers.
He made great use of his leg against spinners. Raghuvanshi hit six fours in his innings. Conditions were favorable for fast bowlers after the morning rain, but Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to hit first. The Indian fast pitcher pair of Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Ravi Kumar got off to a decent start with the new ball.
The hangargeker, however, was unlucky. Left arm fast thrower Ravi scored the first wicket of the match by firing Chamindu Wickremesinghe in the fourth over. The left-handed starter tries a big shot over the middle of the wicket, but the ball goes into the hands of Raj Bawa, who is in the third man.
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Wickremesinghe’s opening teammate Shevon Daniels was caught by goalkeeper Aaradhya Yadav off Bawa in the eleventh over. With this, Sri Lanka’s score was reduced to 15 races across two terrains. Hangargekar was the most impressive fast pitcher in the first 10 overs. The hitters had to face problems due to their fast pace.
After an impressive pace at bowling, the Indian spinner duo of Tambe and Ostwal also worried Sri Lankan batsmen. Ostwal took two wickets to take Sri Lanka to 57 for seven. Hangargekar got his first breakthrough on the last ball of innings. With his ball, Mathisha Pathirana’s Raghuvanshi took a brilliant catch by diving into the boundary of the square leg.
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