Press Trust of India
Fatullah, Feb 6: It was a day of double delight for young Rishabh Pant (111, 96b, 11×4, 2×6) as he guided the India colts to the semifinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup here with a crushing 197-run win over Namibia besides fetching `1.9 crore IPL deal with the Delhi Daredevils.
Left-handed Pant propelled India to 349 for six with his brilliant knock at the top of the order. He was well-supported by Anmolpreet Singh (41, 42b, 5×4, 1×6), Sarfaraz Khan (76, 76b, 6×4, 1×6) and Armaan Jaffer (64, 55b, 4×4, 1×6).
Anmolpreet (3/27) also chipped in with three valuable wickets and alongside other spinners, Mayank Dagar (3/25) and Washington Sundar (2/27), plotted the downfall of Namibia, who folded up for 149 in 39 overs.
Namibia began the mammoth chase well with openers SJ Loftie-Eaton and Niko Davin taking the team past 50. But their challenge fizzled out soon after and from 59 for no loss they were reduced to 96 for five.
The Africans were expected to show more fight in the quarterfinals after they famously knocked out defending champions South Africa in the group stage. As it turned out, India were superior in all departments of the game.
Coach Rahul Dravid praised all the members of the team for their spectacular performance. “We had a few hiccups earlier on in the batting but it is nice to see that we have recovered and we are playing well. We are focusing on the process and not thinking too much about the results. I think that is a good sign for us,” Rahul said after the match.
Pant, who had smashed 78 off 24 balls in the last match, was unstoppable on the day. It was his knock that laid the foundation of a big innings and the other batters followed up on the good job done upfront.
“ I am happy as the team entered the semifinals. We hope to carry on the good work,” Pant stated after the match.
