ICC U-19 World Cup: India set to clinch title

Kamlesh Nagarkoti of India celebrates the dismissal of Australia's Jason Sangha during the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final at the Bay Oval (Image: ICC)

Mount Maunganui, February 3: India restrict Australia to 216 in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup at the Bay Oval on Saturday (February 3). They need 217 in 50 overs.

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Australia captain Jason Sangha opted to bat after winning the toss but his team was sluggish at the beginning. Openers Max Bryant (14 off 12) and Jack Edwards (28 off 29) departed early and India capitalised on their opponents struggles.

At one stage, Australia looked to post in the range of 260 and If not for the Indian spinners, they might as well would have.

Jonathan Merlo top-scored for Australia with a neat 76 off 102 balls but once he departed, the Australian tail-enders put up only four runs on the board. Merlo had a good thing going with Param Uppal (34 off 58) and Nathan McSweeney (23 off 29) but both could not convert their good starts into big knocks.

Left-arm spinners Anukul Roy (2/32) and Shiva Singh (2/36) picked up the crucial wickets for India. Roy moved up to 14 wickets and is the joint highest wicket-taker in the U-19 World Cup along with Qais Ahmed of Afghanistan and Faisal Jamkhandi of Canada.

Roy broke the partnership between Merlo and Uppal at 75 in the 29th over. Uppal looked to play one on the leg side but Roy turned it a bit slow to induce an outside edge and picked up the return catch to provide the breakthrough.

McSweeney departed in a similar way to Shiva Singh 11 overs later. Merlo, running out of partners, attempted to play the big one in the last five overs. In the 46th over, he looked to touch the boundary beyond point with a reverse sweep, but his shot was just short of the ropes and was picked up by Shiva, off Roy. That sparked Australia's downfall and they succumbed two overs later, adding only four runs.

Pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti (2/41) and Shivam Mavi (1/46) finished the job for skipper Prithvi Shaw. Ishan Porel's 2/30 early in the innings denied Australia a good start.

"I think they bowled well. If you bowl well, it can be tough to score," Merlo said after the Australian innings. "A bit of turn and grip for the quick bowling slower balls. Let's see what we can do. Two-hundred-and-sixteen is definitely enough if we can bowl well."