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Despite facing a strong England squad, the Men in Blue remained unfazed, showing resilience and skill to win Under-19 World Cup Title by four wickets in Antigua and Barbuda.
Raj Bawa was awarded the Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul and 35 runs. (Image: BCCI/X, formerly Twitter)
On This Day In 2022: Exactly three years ago, India asserted their dominance in Under-19 cricket by winning a record-extending fifth World Cup trophy on February 5. The historic moment occurred during the 14th edition of the ICC tournament, held in the West Indies in 2022. It was India’s fifth successive appearance in the tournament’s final. They headed into the event as the finalists of the 2020 edition, where they lost to Bangladesh by three wickets.
Despite a formidable England squad awaiting them in the ultimate clash, the Men in Blue remained unfazed. They showcased resilience and skill to win the fixture by four wickets in Antigua and Barbuda.
The final, hosted at the iconic Vivian Richards Stadium, proved a nail-biting thriller. England won the toss and chose to bat first hoping to put up an unattainable target.
George Thomas and Jacob Bethell opened the innings for the Englishmen to give the side a steady start. Things went wrong in the penultimate ball of the second over with Jacob Bethell departing for two runs. Ravi Kumar gave India the much-needed breakthrough. He dismantled England’s top order, sending skipper Tom Prest back to the dugout for a duck.
Raj Bawa joined in on the action to take the scalps of George Thomas, William Luxton, George Bell and Rehan Ahmed in quick succession. England found themselves in deep waters with the scoreboard reading 91/7 in the 25th over.
James Rew rescued England’s innings with a 95-run knock, helping his team put up a score of 189 on the board. While the target wasn’t insurmountable, the pressure of a World Cup final with the quality of England’s bowling attack made the chase tense.
India’s innings suffered an early loss with Angkrish Raghuvanshi getting dismissed for a duck. As the wickets kept falling at crucial junctures, India showcased their composure in the high-pressure situation. The middle-order forged some necessary partnerships to build the innings with maturity and calculated aggression.
The Indian duo of Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu contributed valuable runs in the game, scoring a half-century each. Their calm approach and determination to chip away at the target rather than succumbing to the pressure showcased the team’s all-round strength.
Dinesh Bana helped India sail over the finish line in the fourth ball of the 48th over. With a clean strike over the long-on rope, Bana sealed India’s fifth crown in the U19 tournament. Raj Bawa was awarded the Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul and 35 runs.