India Under-19 Kicks Off World Cup with Dominant Win Over USA

India Under-19 Starts World Cup Journey with a Win

Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], January 15: The India Under-19 cricket team launched their World Cup campaign successfully, achieving a convincing six-wicket victory against the USA Under-19 team in Bulawayo on Thursday.

After winning the toss, India chose to bowl first, showcasing a disciplined bowling effort that led to the USA being bowled out for just 107 runs in 35.2 overs.

In pursuit of a revised target of 96 runs, India faced early challenges. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed for just 2 runs, followed closely by Vedant Trivedi, who also scored 2 runs. Both wickets fell to Ritvik Appidi. Captain Ayush Mhatre then fell for 19, leaving India struggling at 25/3 within 5.2 overs.

Vihaan Malhotra and Abhigyan Kundu then steadied the innings with a vital partnership of 45 runs. Malhotra contributed 18 runs before being dismissed, but Kundu remained solid in the chase. He received good support from Kanishk Chouhan, ensuring that India faced no further setbacks.

India successfully reached their target in 17.2 overs, with Kundu finishing not out on 42 runs off 41 balls, which included five fours and a six, while Chouhan remained unbeaten on 10. Ritvik Appidi was the standout bowler for the USA, ending with figures of 2/24 from five overs.

Henil Patel was the star performer for India with the ball, achieving remarkable figures of 5/16 in his seven overs. This performance ranks as the third-best bowling spell for India in the U19 World Cup, following Kamal Passi's 6/23 against Zimbabwe in 2012 and Anukul Roy's 5/14 against Papua New Guinea in 2018.

Nitish Sudini was the top scorer for the USA, making 36 runs off 52 balls, but the innings struggled to build momentum due to a lack of significant partnerships.

India's bowlers effectively shared the responsibilities, with Deepesh Devendran taking 1/19, RS Ambrish claiming 1/14, Khilan Patel finishing with 1/27, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributing with 1/2.

This comprehensive victory marks a confident beginning for India in their Under-19 World Cup journey.