Dubai: India’s Under-19 boys dished an allround show to register an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the ICC Under-19 World Cup semi-final at the JB Marks Oval Ground in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Tuesday.
After restricting Pakistan to 172 runs through some tight bowling and brilliant fielding, India raced to victory in 35.2 overs with 88 balls to spare. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal cracked an unbeaten 105 off 113 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes while Divyansh Saxena remained unconquered on 59 off 99 balls with six boundaries. So dominant was Jaiswal that he helped India reach the target with a six into the mid-wicket stands.
India thus reached the final of this tournament for the third successive time and will take on the winner of the other semifinal, to be held on Thursday (February 6) between Bangladesh and New Zealand, on February 9.
Pakistan opener Mohammad Hurraira lasted only six balls to score four runs when left-arm medium pacer Sushant Mishra got him out after they elected to bat. No.3 batsman Mohammad Fahad Munir fell for a duck to leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Mishra went on to take three wickets for 28.
Haider Ali and skipper Rohail Nazir put on 62 runs for the third wicket before Ali fell for 56 runs off 77 balls with nine boundaries. Jaiswal ended Ali’s innings by making him cut the ball into the hands of Bishnoi at point. Next man Qasim Akran got run out for nine when both the batsman ran towards the same end in a mix up.
Mohammad Haris, who joined Nazir, took the score to 148 when Haris on 21, fell to a brilliant diving catch by Saxena off left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar. Pakistan’s batting collapsed when India’s opening bowler Kartik Tyagi, who was re-introduced, bowled Irfan Khan for three and Bishnoi trapped Abbas Afridi for two. Nazir’s fine knock of 62 off 102 balls with six boundaries too came to an end when Mishra had him caught by Tilak Varma at square leg.
Tyagi and Mishra quickly removed the last two batsmen to end Pakistan’s innings in 43.1 overs, as the latter lost their last six wickets for 26 runs.
Indian openers Jaiswal and Saxena began cautiously, piling up 33 runs in the first 10 overs. Their 50-run partnership came in the 14th over. In the 18th over, Jaiswal slog swept left-arm spinner for a six as he went on to reach his half-century in 66 balls.
In the 25th over mark, India reached 109 for no loss - needing only another 64 runs. Saxena too reached his half century in 83 balls. In the 31st over, Jaiswal hit Afridi for two consecutive sixes, the first over mid-wicket and the second over deep square leg. He also nudged him to third man for a boundary to take 18 runs off the over and speed up the race to the target.
