Road to glory: India's journey to a fifth U19 World Cup title
Having won the coveted under-age trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018, India continued their recent domination at the 2022 U19 Cricket World Cup, beating England by four wickets in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
India came into the tournament with good momentum on their side, winning the U19 Asia Cup in December 2021 and carried it all the way to the final of the World Cup.
It wasn't an easy ride to glory for the Indian team – at one point in the tournament they had a tough time picking a playing XI after several players tested positive for COVID-19. The setback, however, seemed to spur them on as they finished the tournament unbeaten.
We look back at India's journey to the finals:
First match, Group stage game vs South Africa: Won by 45 runs
India were tested in their very first match of the tournament against South Africa. The Proteas got some early breakthroughs and India were off to a shaky start. But a good innings of 82 from skipper Yash Dhull and vital contributions from the middle and lower order got them to a competitive total of 232.
During the chase, Dewald Brevis threatened to take the match away from India but the young bowlers showed great heart and managed to bowl the Proteas out for 187. Left-arm orthodox spinner Vicky Ostwal registered a five-wicket haul, while seamer Raj Angad Bawa picked up four wickets.
Second match, Group stage game vs Ireland: Won by 174 runs
Ahead of their clash against Ireland, several players of the Indian contingent, including captain Yash Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed, tested positive for COVID-19, leaving a barebones squad to choose from.
India, however, showed how much depth they had as other players stepped in and delivered impactful performances.
Watch the Match Highlights from India vs. Ireland, 01/19/2022
India posted a massive score of 307/5, thanks to vital contributions from the top-five after Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harnoor Singh led the way with a 164-run opening stand. In response, Ireland were bowled out for just 133.
Third match, Group stage game vs Uganda: Won by 326 runs
India's domination in the tournament continued with a massive 326-run win over Uganda in their final Group stage game. Raghuvanshi and Raj Bawa scored a century each, with the latter top-scoring with 162* off just 108 balls. India posted 405/5, their second-highest total in U19 Cricket World Cup history.
Stand-in captain Nishant Sindhu was lethal with the ball in hand, returning a four-for as Uganda were bundled out for 79. The 326-run win was the second-highest runs margin in the history of the U19 Cricket World Cup.
Fourth match, Super League quarter-final vs Bangladesh: Won by five wickets
The Indian colts came up with equally strong performances in the knockout stages, starting with the quarter-final against Bangladesh.
Ravi Kumar ran through the top-order with three wickets in the Powerplay before the spinners wrapped up Bangladesh's inning for 111. India stuttered in the middle of their chase but Yash Dhull, returning to the XI after recovering from COVID-19, batted through to take India to semi-finals with five wickets in hand.
Fifth match, Super League semi-final vs Australia: Won by 96 runs wickets
India were in trouble at 37/2 batting first before Dhull and Rasheed pulled off a rescue act with a 204-run partnership. The captain got to his hundred but the vice-captain was unfortunate to be run out at the non-striker's end six runs short of a century. Cameos from Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Sindhu and Dinesh Bana took India to 290/5.
SK Rasheed with 94 Runs vs. Australia, 02/02/2022
Ravi Kumar once again struck early but Australia recovered through Campbell Kellaway and Corey Miller. However, the wicket of Miller opened the floodgates as Australia went from 71/1 to 125/7. Jack Sinfield and Tom Whitney delayed the inevitable with a 42-run stand but Australia were eventually skittled out for 194.
With the 96-run win, India made it to their fourth successive U19 World Cup Final.
Sixth match, Final vs England: Won by four wickets
Asked to bowl first in the final, India landed the opening blow through their pacers, reducing England to 91/7. Ravi Kumar and Raj Bawa ran riot with the ball, before James Rew and James Sales led England's recovery with a 93-run stand. The pacers returned to clean up the rest of the batting line-up for 189.
Chasing 190, India faltered early, losing Angkrish Raghuvanshi for a duck in the first over. Harnoor Singh and Shaik Rasheed consolidated with a 49-run stand. Rasheed got to his half-century but soon lost his wicket and Dhull followed shortly after.
Nishant Sindhu and Raj Bawa then got together to bail India out of trouble by adding 67 runs for the fifth wicket. Though there were some jitters towards the end, Dinesh Bana finished things off in style with two consecutive sixes to seal the match and take India to their fifth U19 World Cup title.
Top performers
Opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi was the highest run-scorer for India in this tournament with 278 runs at an excellent average of 46.33. That includes a best of 144 that came against Uganda in the group stage.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Vicky Ostwal was the highest wicket-taker for India with 12 wickets to his name at an average of 13.33. Ostwal registered his best figures of 5/28 against South Africa in their very first match of this competition.
During the chase, Dewald Brevis threatened to take the match away from India but the young bowlers showed great heart and managed to bowl the Proteas out for 187.
All-rounder Raj Angad Bawa was the standout player for India in this tournament. He amassed 252 runs in the competition, the second-highest for India, which included a record-breaking knock of 162* against Uganda, and also picked up nine wickets at an average of 16.66. He was the Player of the Match in the final for his five-wicket haul and an important knock of 35 from 54 that took India close to victory.