India U-19 team 2019: India have secured a nerve-wrenching victory in the final of the U-19 Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka.
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During the final match of the recently concluded U-19 Asia Cup between India U-19 and Bangladesh U-19 in Colombo, India U-19 defeated Bangladesh U-19 by 5 runs in a cliffhanger of a match.
An outright batting collapse from the Indian batsmen saw them getting bundling out for 106 in 32.4 overs. A target which would have seemed pretty easy for any team on paper was defended in the best possible manner by Dhruv Jurel-led India U-19 team.
With the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup slated to be played next year, such tournament prove handy for preparation for the big tournament. India will be looking to bank on this victory to put their best foot forward in the matches leading to the World Cup. Below is the list of three best Indian cricketers from the tournament:
India U-19 team 2019
Arjun Azad
India U-19 opening batsman Arjun Azad ended the tournament as its highest run-scorer. In three matches, Azad scored 142 runs at an average of 47.33 and a strike rate of 106.76. The hard-hitting 18-year old batsman from Chandigarh commenced the tournament with a stellar century against Pakistan U-19 in Moratuwa.
It was during a 183-run partnership for the second wicket between him and Tilak Varma which saw India U-19 scoring 305/9 in 50 overs. Before getting out in the 38th over, Azad scored 121 (111) with the help of 11 fours and four sixes.
While he couldn’t get off the mark in the final against Bangladesh U-19 today, Azad has played an impact-generating innings to allure attention towards him in the matches to come.
Tilak Varma
16-year old Tilak Varma, who made his First-class and T20 debut for Hyderabad earlier this year, was the second Indian to score a century in the U-19 Asia Cup. In three matches, Varma scored 113 runs at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 81.88 including a century.
In the aforementioned partnership alongside Azad, Varma ended up scoring 110 (119) with the help of 10 fours and a six. Although he didn’t pick a wicket, Varma also bowls a decent brand of leg-spin.
Atharva Ankolekar
18-year old Mumbai left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar ended the tournament as its highest wicket-taker. In three matches, Ankolekar dismissed 12 batsmen at a magical average of 6.66, an economy rate of 2.96 and a strike rate of 13.5.
Unlike the batsmen, Ankolekar’s performance kept on improving with every match. His best was seen in the final of the tournament when he registered a five-wicket haul in a desperate situation.
Defending a paltry 107-run target, Ankolekar registered bowling figures of 8-2-28-5 to deceive the Bangladeshi batsmen in his web at will.
