Two of the most successful Under-19 sides in the world of cricket, India (4 titles) and Australia (3 titles) came face-to-face in the semi-final of the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday (February 2).
India won the toss and elected to bat first, despite there being some moisture on the pitch as Yash Dhull backed his batters to fight the tough phase initially and capitalise later in a big pressure game.
The openers Harnoor Singh (16) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (6) failed to get going but vice-captain Shaik Rasheed (94) and Dhull (110) batted outstandingly while adding 204 runs for the third wicket to put the side in the driver's seat.
Dhull became only the third Indian captain to score a hundred in the U-19 World Cup after Virat Kohli and Unmukt Chand, while Rasheed unfortunately missed out on a well deserved hundred. Dinesh Bana (20* in 4 balls) provided the finishing touches with Rajvardhan Hangargekar (13) and Nishant Sindhu (12*) as India piled on an imposing score of 290/5.
It will take something just as exceptional from Australia's batters to get past the massive target against a well-rounded Indian bowling attack. The winner of the semi-final will face England in the final on February 5.
Cricket fraternity hailed the vice-captain and captain duo of Rasheed and Dhull as they impressed one and all with their temperament and composure with India in a tough situation.
Here are some of the tweets:
