Not played in the best of spirits, as the final of the 2020 U-19 World Cup came to its conclusion with Bangladesh prevailing over India this Sunday (February 9), the neighbouring players were seen abusing each other and almost sharing blows as the Bangladeshis came aggressively sprinting towards the playing area where skipper Akbar Ali had left the Indians dejected with a composed knock. 

Akbar, a character matured beyond his years, took Bangladesh past the finish line, showing excellent temperament in the heat of the battle. But his teammates, admittedly triggered by the opposition's sledging, left a lot to be desired on that front, leaving their skipper regret the overall conduct. 

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"Some of our bowlers were emotional and were pumped up," PTI quoted Akbar as saying. "What happened after the game was unfortunate. I would like to congratulate India."

It was a historic day for Bangladesh cricket as nation's youth lifted its first major title at any level. "It’s a dream come true," Akbar said. "It’s all about the hard work we have done over the last two years. The coaching staff...I just cannot thank them enough for how much support they have given us on and off the field."

"We’ve had a very good experience, and this is just the beginning for us. Hopefully, this will be the stepping stone for us."

To ensure the situation doesn't go completely out of control, India U-19 head coach Paras Mhambrey asked his players to immediately leave the field. 

For skipper Priyam Garg, though, it was a bitter pill to swallow after playing dominant cricket leading upto the final. “Those who have supported us here have been our 12th man here. We really appreciate it," he said after his team failed to defend the modest total of 177. "It’s a bad day, but our boys fought really well. Even with such a low total, we made it difficult for them, and I would like to thank my team for that."

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his fantastic run with a sedate half-century (88) and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi delivered a fine spell (4/30) in the second half but the rest failed to come to the party. 

"The biggest factor was the toss, because the wicket was a bit damp. We had a good start, and we should have got to at least 210-220. That would have been a much better score," Garg said. 

"I don’t think we could have done much different. For 178, we responded really well, and we lost this because we didn’t bat well enough. That’s about it. We enjoyed the World Cup. We played a series here too, and this was enjoyable too."

(Inputs from PTI)