India managed to get their U-19 World Cup campaign off on a winning note as they secured a victory over Bangladesh by 84 runs thanks to a stellar effort by the Indian spin duo Saumy Pandey who took four wickets and Musheer Khan who finished with two scalps at the Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.
India’s bowling seemed to struggle initially with the pacer Naman Tiwari leaking runs in the powerplay while Raj Limbani was able to get some swing with the new ball.
Raj Limbani along with spinner Saumy Pandey managed to get the ball rolling to dismiss each opener and put India on top. Pandey managed to add to the pressure by dismissing Chowdhury Md Rizwan as well.
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Musheer Khan on the other hand also managed to chip in with two wickets in the middle to maintain the pressure on the Bangladeshi batting unit.
In the first innings, opener Adarsh Singh (76 off 96 balls) and skipper Uday Saharan (64 off 94 balls) hit resilient half-centuries and put up a 116 run-stand to help India post a fighting 251/7 against a spirited Bangladesh team.
For Bangladesh, Left-arm seamer Maruf Mridha (5/43) displayed his class on the big stage as he took crucial wickets at the start and during slog overs by bowling in the right areas. However, the Bangladesh skipper got his calculations wrong as Mridha bowled 8 overs – two remaining from his quota. With the bat, it was Mohammad Shihab James who scored a gritty 54 while Ariful Islam scored 41 and got a partnership going worth 77 runs.
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The Indian team’s designated finisher Sachin Dhas showed admirable technique and temperament during death overs with a nice little unbeaten cameo of 26 off 20 balls that took the score past the 250-run mark.
The two youngsters didn’t look too comfortable against the Bangladesh spinners — offie Sheikh Paevez Jibon (0/39 in 10 overs) and left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahaman Rabby (1/41 in 10 overs), who is also the skipper of the side.
India will join Ireland with a win each in the group stage after the first round of games in the U19 World Cup. The two sides will meet in their next fixture which takes place on January 25 at Bloemfontein as both teams will be aiming to get the win and better their chances of qualification to the knock-out stages.
(With PTI Inputs)
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