India Under-19 defend 106 against Bangladesh to win Asia Cup

India Under-19 team defended only 106 runs against Bangladesh Under-19 in Colombo to clinch the Asia Cup trophy. The final was an extremely close affair with rain adding another dimension to the game. With Bangladesh six runs away from the victory, Atharva Ankolekar bowled Shahin Alam to clinch the title. Ankolekar’s 5/28 earned him the player of the match award in the all-important final.

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India struggle with the bat

Choosing to bat first at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, India suffered a horrible start. Top three batsmen were back in the hut in no time. At one stage, India found themselves at 8/3 in 5.1 overs. Captain Dhruv Jurel (33) alongside Shashwat Rawat raised a stand of 45 runs. Just as the innings was getting back on the track, the Bangla Tigers struck again.

Three quick wickets derailed the Indian fightback. Amidst the collapse, Karan Lal decided to take the attack to the bowlers. His 37 from 43 balls took his team past the 100-run mark. Mrittunjoy Chowdhury dismissed Lal to end the proceedings. His spell of 3/18 and Shamim Hossain’s 3/8 were the notable spells.

The thrilling chase

Defending only 107 runs, Indian bowlers needed to take early wickets and they did not disappoint. Akash Singh extracted great swing in the helpful conditions and Bangladeshi batsmen fell for the bait. He and his new-ball partner Vidyadhar Patil reduced the chasing side to 16/4 in no time. Captain Akbar Ali rescued the side with a steady hand of 23 from 36 balls.

India took two more wickets before rain stopped play in the 20th over. At 78/6 in 19.4 overs, Bangladesh were ahead of the par score but the mandatory 20 overs were not completed. After resumption, India clawed back with two more wickets. The ninth-wicket stand between Tanzim Sakib and Rakibul Hasan took Bangladesh past 100 and the game was firmly in their grasp. The left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar then turned the tide India’s way and took two wickets in an over to seal the triumph.

Defending Champions India U19 hold their nerve and seal a thrilling 5 run win over Bangladesh in U19 Asia Cup final. We are proud of you boys! ✌✌ pic.twitter.com/Lo6j32Cfte

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 14, 2019

Brief scores:

India Under-19 106 in 32.4 overs (K Lal 37; S Hossain 3-8) beat Bangladesh Under-19 101 in 33 overs (A Ankolekar 5-28) by five runs.