India became the most successful nation in Under-19 World Cup history when they defeated Australia convincingly by eight wickets at picturesque Mount Maunganui.
Truth be told, it was a lopsided final, especially in the run chase. Australia threatened to get in front in the match in their first ten overs, especially when opener Jack Edwards got on a bit of a roll hitting five boundaries in the couple of overs before he was caught at cover.
Despite having Australia at 3-59, India went defensive early, deciding to contain rather than attack. It did allow Australia to go between cruising and crawling along in the middle orders adding 124 runs with the loss of only one wicket against a team who refused to put any real pressure on their opposition.
Australia were in a good position to launch in their final ten overs but it never came. There really didn’t appear to be a player who was ever going to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Even Jonathon Merlo, whose innings were like a satisfying mid-range wine, ended it like a cheap wine that had gone off, with a foolish reverse sweep that found a fielder in the deep.
It meant the player most likely to get Australia a score of over 250 was out of India’s way, and Australia’s tail offered little after Merlo.
While no Australian batsmen showed the qualities to be a genuine star at international level in the future, all of India’s batsmen did. From the outset, the timing of both of India’s openers was far more impressive than their counterparts.
When Manjot Kaira put a free hit onto the hill with a sweet shot over the wide mid-on boundary, the signs were worrying for Australia. A brief rain break didn’t stop India’s early momentum, and captain Prithvi Shaw’s driving was a brief delight once play had resumed.
Australia’s much-needed breakthrough came after a 71 run opening stand, but it was always an uphill battle for the men in gold, and the hill they were climbing was far steeper than the hills adjacent to the ground.
All four Indian batsman batted beautifully, with the standout being unbeaten centurion Kaira. Scoring at almost a run a ball for his 101*, he was a clear choice for man of the match honours.
It wasn’t a great performance either with the ball or in the field for India, who were at times sloppy against a team that lacked a bit of quality. However, with the bat in hand, India’s batsmen all combined in a comfortable and superb run chase to become the first nation to win four Under-19 Cricket World Cups.
Beardan
Roar Guru
I thought all four batsmen looked classy. The difference between the two teams was huge. The Indian batsmen techniques were all good. Besides the opener for Australia, the first wicket that fell, Max Bryant, the rest of Australia's batsmen didnt look of high enough quality to scream out they will play int cricket in the future. If they have their heads down, these Indian batsmen you would think could all kick on. Very classy run chase and techniques on display.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
It is true the final did not rise to the highest level. The difference in talent and class between the two teams had been apparent at the previous meeting and became more obvious yesterday. India has had some wonderful players emerge out of the U19 WC earlier including Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mihir Kaif, Ishant Sharma and many others. But the talent in this team is phenomenal. There are 3 fast bowlers who bowl between 140 and 150k - Nagarkoti, Mavi and Porel. Subhman Gill is by far the most phenomenal young batsman in the world today. He is a future Kohli and Tendulkar, mark my words. And we saw Kaira eaterday besides Prithvi Shaw who is at the cusp of making it to the senior Indian team. Keep a watch on these kids!