Brilliant India Win The U-19 World Cup For The Fifth Time
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2022-02-06 04:52:50
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
India played brilliantly to win a record fifth title in the U-19 World Cup in West Indies by beating England by 4 wickets. The match was won in the first 17 overs of the England innings (they chose to bat first after winning the toss) as Raj Bawa and Ravi Kumar ran through the English top order and left them reeling at 61 for 6. Although James Rew (95) put up a rearguard action and added 93 runs for the eight wicket with James Sales (34 not out), England could only manage 189 runs.
Set 190 to win, India started disastrously when opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi departed in the second ball of the innings. But in-form Shaik Rasheed (50), Harnoor Singh (21), Nishant Sindhu (50) and Raj Bawa (35) ensured that India reached the target with 14 balls to spare. Raj Bawa (5 for 31 and 35 runs) was declared Player of the Match for his all round performance.
The Indian bowlers maintained a tight line and length and did not allow any liberties to the English batters. With the odd ball keeping low and others jumping from a length, the batters found conditions tough for batting. The Indian spinners, though, failed to make an impact and the Englishmen consolidated in the middle overs with James Rew hitting some outstanding strokes. He was unlucky to miss his hundred.
When India batted, Rasheed was a picture of confidence and carried his form from the semifinal to score a patient 50 in 84 balls. Since the target was low, none of the Indian batters indulged in misadventures and displayed character to play intelligently. Joshua Boyden was the pick of the England bowlers taking 2 wickets for just 24 runs in 7 overs. Although the English spinners checked the flow of runs in the middle overs, they were not penetrative and allowed India to consolidate. Skipper Yash Dhull, the star of the semifinal win against Australia, had an off day and scored just 17 in 32 balls.
But a new star was born in the finals as Raj Bawa emerged as a solid bowling allrounder to watch. He has an easy run up to the wicket but bowls intelligently. He gets the odd ball to jump from a length and troubled all England batters. More importantly, he sets up batters and they make mistakes. The way he induced George Thomas to scoop a catch to Dhull in the covers after keeping him tied down for several deliveries was a treat to watch. Shaik Rasheed is also developing into a solid player and with Dhull, he is likely to be the strength of the Indian middle order in future.
Picture courtesy: ICC
