Mount Maunganui: India achieved here Saturday at the Bay Oval, a record fourth U-19 World Cup trophy after an eight-wicket rout of Australia in the final, underlining their dominant run in the tournament. It also provided Rahul Dravid the biggest success of his coaching career.
India had all their bases covered with the bowlers bouncing back to dismiss Australia for 216. Then the highly-rated batting, barring a minor blip, completed the job with conviction as India chased down the modest target in 38.5 overs.
Delhi-boy Manjot Kalra (101 n o, 102b, 8×4, 3×6) emerged the star of the final with a brilliant century. He had scored 86 in the tournament-opener against the same side. Kalra was associated in three partnerships – 71 runs for the first wicket with skipper Prithvi Shaw (29, 41b, 4×4), 61 for the second with Subhman Gill (31, 43b, 4×4) and an unfinished stand of 89 runs for the third with Harvik Desai (47 n o, 61b, 5×4) – that helped India chase down the target easily.
The team’s performance was also a fitting tribute to coach Dravid, who finally got his hands on a World Cup trophy. Under Dravid, the side had finished runner-up in the 2016 edition in Bangladesh.
Kalra batted like a man possessed in the final. While many were banking on the prowess of Shaw and Gill, the left-hander decided to make the game his own. After a sedate a start, he broke the shackles with a six off a ‘free-hit’ delivery bowled by Zak Evans and then there was no stopping him.
It was only fitting that he reached the three figures in the last over of the final. Desai hit the winning boundary, sending the team members and the packed crowd into frenzy.
Earlier, Jonathan Merlo (76, 102b, 7×4) played a solid knock before India’s left-arm spin duo of Shiva Singh (2/36) and Anukul Roy (2/32) created a web of deceit to derail the Aussies. Both Shiva and Roy had the Aussies tied in knots with their flight and variation of pace. Both of Roy’s victims, including Merlo were caught and bowled – batsmen failing to gauge the pace and flight and playing early.
Shiva on the other hand varied his pace cleverly and also should be indebted to keeper Desai, who picked a brilliant catch to dismiss Will Sutherland. The arm ball had brushed the pad and took an inside edge en route to the keeper, who showed amazing reflexes to bring the gloves in line with the ball.
Earlier Ishan Porel (2/30) and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (2/36) had sent back the top-order with the latter picking up the prized wicket of Oz skipper Jason Sangha (13). It was again a brilliant effort by Desai who flung himself to his right to come up with a blinder behind the stumps.
Australian batsmen were also guilty of not converting the starts they got. Param Uppal (34), Nathan McSweeney (23) and Jack Edwards (28) got themselves in, only to be dismissed after looking good for many more.
Agencies