Mirpur: Three-time champions India marched into their fifth ICC under-19 World Cup final with an emphatic 97-run win over Sri Lanka in the semifinals here Tuesday.
India did well to reach 267/9 in 50 overs after a shaky start before putting up an impressive effort with the ball to dismiss Sri Lanka for 170 in 42.4 overs.
The batting stars were Anmolpreet Singh (72, 92b, 6×4, 1×6) and Sarfaraz Khan (59, 71b, 6×4, 1×6) who amassed his fourth fifty-plus scores in five innings. India now await the winners of the other semifinal between hosts Bangladesh and West Indies.
“To enter the final unbeaten in the tournament so far shows we have executed our plans well,” said skipper Ishan Kishan after the game. “Anmolpreet and Sarfaraz brought us back in our innings and then the bowlers kept the pressure to restrict Sri Lanka.”
Indians, put in to bat on an overcast morning, were put under pressure right away with their formidable opening pair of Rishabh Pant and Kishan falling cheaply to leave the team at 27/2 in the 10th over.
However, Anmolpreet and the in-form Sarfaraz steadied the ship with a 96-run stand off 126 balls for the third wicket. But then the latter fell, holing out to mid-wicket off the bowling of Avishka Fernando.
Anmolpreet, then stitched another handy 70-run partnership with Washington Sundar (43, 45b, 3×4) for the fourth wicket. With boundaries difficult to come by, the running between the wickets between the two was a treat to watch.
India needed a move on in the last 10 overs and the late burst came courtesy Sundar and Armaan Jaffer (29, 16b, 3×4, 1×6) and a 10-ball 17 from Mayank Dagar which took them past the 260-run mark.
Defending the target, the Indian bowlers did not allow the Lankan chase to take off. After a batting cameo, Dagar (3/21) did his bit with the ball as well.
Pacer Avesh Khan (2/41), India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, struck in the very first over, dismissing Avishka Fernando leg before wicket even though the ball appeared to be drifting down. Soon after, the run out of Kaveen Bandara made it 13 for two in the fourth over.
Kamindu Mendis (39, 67b, 4×4) and Shammu Ahsan (38, 49b, 4×4) added 49 runs for the fourth wicket – the highest stand of the Sri Lanka innings — before Dagar struck. In his first over, Mendis tried to sweep from well outside the off stump and the resultant top edge was easily gobbled up by Sundar at short fine-leg.
The rest of the batters failed to offer resistance as the Indian bowlers ran through the middle and lower-order with ease.
“We might have won easily and emphatically, but the final will be a different ball game,” said coach Rahul Dravid. “Hopefully, we will be able to keep the momentum going for the remaining one match of the tournament.”
Brief scores: India 267 for 9 (Anmolpreet Singh 72, Sarfaraz Khan 59, Avishka Fernando 4/43) beat Sri Lanka 170 in 42.4 overs (Kamindu Mendis 39, Mayank Dagar 3/21, Avesh Khan 2/41) by 97 runs. PTI
