Priyam Garg was an elated captain as India secured their berth in the Under-19 World Cup final by crushing Pakistan with a 10-wicket margin in the first semi-final at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom on Tuesday (February 4).
Asked to bowl first, the Boys in Blue bundled out Pakistan for a paltry 172 with Sushant Mishra (3/28), Kartik Tyagi (2/32) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/46) doing the bulk of the damage.
In reply, India rode on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dazzling century (105 not out off 113 balls) and Divyansh Saxena’s unbeaten 99-ball 59 to overhaul the target with 88 balls to spare.
“We are happy. It’s one more step towards what we set out to achieve when we started out. I would want us to follow the same process as we have done. We have to approach the final just as another game that we have to play,” Garg said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Hailing the pace troika of Kartik, Sushant and Akash Singh for their brilliant showing, the India U-19 skipper said: “This is the best attack of the tournament, because all our fast bowlers hit 140 plus consistently, and the spinners hit the right lines and lengths.”
He was lavish in his praise for openers Jaiswal and Saxena, who added 176 runs for the unbroken opening stand.
“This isn’t the first time. They have done this for the past one year. They bond well, and that leads to good running between the wickets and good communication. They play together a lot, and this helps them complement each other,” Garg added.
(With PTI inputs)
