Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi displayed his batting prowess before wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu and Vedant Trivedi’s unbeaten half-centuries propelled India U19 to a convincing seven-wicket victory over Australia U19 in the first Youth ODI on Sunday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Australia managed to score only 225 for nine, thanks to an excellent performance by the Indian bowlers.
The visitors then chased the target with 117 balls to spare at the Ian Healy Oval, with Kundu and Trivedi remaining unbeaten on 87 and 61, respectively.
What Did Vaibhav Suryavanshi Do?
The spotlight was on 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who responded with a blazing 38 off just 22 balls, including seven fours.
Suryavanshi’s dominance was evident as skipper Ayush Mhatre contributed just six runs
in a 50-run opening partnership before being dismissed by pacer Hayden Schiller.
Two balls later, Mhatre was sent back by Charles Lachmund, causing India to lose two wickets at the same score.
One-down batter Vihaan Malhotra (9) also failed to make a significant contribution as Lachmund accounted for his wicket, leaving India at 75 for three in the 10th over and giving Australia a glimmer of hope.
However, Trivedi and Kundu joined forces to dash Australia’s hopes with an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 152 runs, completing the chase in only 30.3 overs.
Kundu smashed five sixes and eight fours in his 74-ball knock, while Trivedi struck eight boundaries while facing 69 deliveries.
Seamer Lachmund (2/46 in 7 overs) was the most successful bowler for Australia U19.
Earlier, the Indian bowlers were disciplined in their line and length, restricting Australia to 225, much below what the home team would have hoped for when they opted to bat first.
However, they wouldn’t have reached even that score if it wasn’t for John James’ counterattacking, unbeaten 68-ball 77 after they were reeling at 35 for four and then 107 for six.
Henil Patel (3/38 in 10 overs), Kanishk Chouhan (2/39 in 10), and Kishan Kumar (2/59 in 10) mainly shared the spoils, with one wicket going to RS Ambrish (1/50 in 10).
Tom Hogan chipped in with a slow 41 off 81 balls, while Steven Hogan struggled to 39 after facing 82 deliveries, reflecting the stranglehold of the Indian bowlers over the Australian batters.
(With inputs from PTI)
