Potchefstroom (South Africa): Yashasvi Jaiswal (105 n o, 8×4, 4×6) batted like a man among boys while Kartik Tyagi (2/32) reminded Pakistan of Waqar Younis’ toe-crushing yorkers as defending champions India walloped their arch rivals by 10 wickets to enter their seventh ICC U-19 World Cup final here Tuesday.
The gulf in class between the two sides was evident as Indian bowlers collectively choked Pakistan to a paltry 172 in 43.1 overs. Left-handed opener Jaiswal then showed his class with an unbeaten knock. He was well supported by the equally graceful Divyansh Saxena (59 n o, 99b, 6×4) as India completed an easy chase in only 35.2 overs.
“It’s a dream come true for me. To be able to do this for my country is a great feeling. To score a hundred against Pakistan in a World Cup semifinal is something I can’t put into words,” Jaiswal said after winning the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
India thus maintained their supremacy over Pakistan at the age-group and senior level in ICC tournaments – both men and women.
The ‘Boys in Blue’ have earlier reached the summit clash in 2000 (winners), 2006 (runners-up), 2008 (winners), 2012 (winners), 2016 (runners-up) and 2018 (winners).
The current batch with key players, having already played senior representative cricket and five with IPL deals in their bag, showed the difference in skill level and application from their opponents, an aspect that could be attributed to the robust junior cricket structure put in place by none other than Rahul Dravid.
Jaiswal literally toyed with the Pakistan bowling attack, hitting them to all parts of the ground. The youngest Indian double centurion in List A cricket finished the game with a six, which also completed his hundred.
En route to his hundred, pacer Abbas Afridi was effortlessly hit over deep mid-wicket for a six and then pulled the next one behind square for another six.
The Pakistan bowling attack was pedestrian at best and didn’t have answers to the drives that flowed from Yashasvi’s blade. Divyansh’s batting was also pleasing to the eye, playing the ball late.
“We were talking about how we needed to stick at the wicket. They bowled well initially and we wanted to ride that out and we knew we could dominate them after that,” Jaiswal added.
The match as a contest was over in the first half when Pakistani batsmen had no answer to Tyagi’s pace and Ravi Bishnoi’s (2/46) variations. Both proved to be very difficult for the Pak batsmen. However, left-arm pacer Sushant Mishra (3/28) was the pick of the bowlers and troubled all the opposition batsmen
Pakistan skipper Rohail Nazir (62, 102b, 6×4) and opener Haider Ali (56, 77b, 9×4) were the only ones to make a significant contribution as the innings lasted 43.1 overs.
While Tyagi’s scorching pace and Bishnoi’s googlies were eye-catching, left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar (1/29) left and part-time leg-spinner Yashasvi (1/11) also kept the rival batsmen under check.
Tyagi, probably one of the fastest bowlers in India in his age category, bowled an inswinging yorker wide off crease to uproot Irfan Khan’s off-stump and then got his second wicket with an intimidating bouncer that removed tail-ender Tahir Hussain.
In between, Bishnoi bowled his fast googlies to get rid of Fahad Munir (0) and Abbas Afridi (2).
The only time Pakistan looked to be gaining some foothold was during the 62-run stand between Haider and Rohail before Yashasvi’s part-time leg-breaks saw the end of the opener’s effort.
Skipper Rohail did scratch around and got a fifty but never for once did he look in any sort of control and was holed out at square leg.
Brief scores: Pakistan 172 in 43.3 overs (Rohail Nazir 62, Haider Ali 56, Sushant Mishra 3/28, Kartik Tyagi 2/32, Ravi Bishnoi 2/46) lost to India 176 for no loss in35.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 105 n o, Divyaansh Saxena 59 n o) by 10 wickets
