India in U19 World Cup: Road to the final

Indian colts have not had a resounding U19 World Cup. Yet, the team has together combined well enough to overpower most oppositions and book a shot at the title against Australia. A look at their journey so far in what may well be their third claim to the trophy.

Against West Indies ( Lost by 4 wickets )

It was the seventh match of the tournament, the first for the boys in blue. West Indies lost the toss and asked India to bat, a decision that  proved disastrous for Unmukt Chand's side.

Jerome Jones hit the Indians hard in his first over and sent back Prashant Chopra on 1. The medium pace of Kyle Mayers was equally difficult for the Indians to handle and this 19-year-old walked away with two wickets as well, the same number as in Jones' kitty. It however was Ronsford Beatons torrid pace that left the Indians reeling. The Guyana bowler ripped the Indian middle-order apart to ensure that the eventual target was a mere 167.

Sandeep Sharma gave India a good start when he removed both openers relatively early. Skipper Kriagg Brathwaite followed Sunil Ambris with the score still on 13 in 8.1 overs. West Indies however managed to string a solid partnership through John Campbell (36) and Anthony Alleyne (52) to blunt India's attack to an extent.

Harmeet Singh was introduced and he struck with three wickets. A tense match was eventually sealed however with 17 balls to spare as Mayers returned, this time with the bat, to help himself to 43 runs.

Against Zimbabwe ( Won by 63 runs )

The Indian batting needed to click to get the confidence back. A splendid knock from openers Chopra (57) and Chand (78) did just that as India set a target of 262 for Zimbabwe after being asked to bat again.

Contributions from Baba Aparajith (24) and Hanuma Vihari (31) were also crucial especially as Campbell Light found form, taking three wickets. 13 wides also helped India's cause to a great extent.

When it came to defending the total, it was all about a man called Kamal Passi. The medium pacer from Amritsar ensured Zimbabwe do not forget him easily as he rattled the top-order to make the individual scores read - 4, 6, 8 and 9.

Malcolm Lake, in at five, resisted India with a fluid 118 but the damage was just too much for him to repair on his own. He eventually fell to Passi and the match ended in 44.1 overs.

Against Papua New Guinea ( Won by 107 runs )

It was always going to be easy for the Indians against Papua New Guinea. It was not plain sailing though.

Chand won the toss this time, and decided to set a target again. He may have missed out himself this time, taking just 4 runs from the innings. Some of his teammates though made the most of the chance.

Vijay Zol hit a patient 72 from 95 balls while Chopra added another fifty at the top to resist Papua New Guinea bowlers who showed they have more talent that are credited for.

Chad Soper was the star with the ball against India. He took five wickets which helped his side to wrap the Indians up on a mere 204.

If the batting was lackluster, India showed bowling can win matches as well. Passi took two wickets to continue with his good form but it was a day that belonged to Ravikant Singh who struck with five wickets.

India managed to clean the opposition out on 97 runs to still, seal the match by a huge margin.

Quarterfinal: Against Pakistan ( Won by a wicket )

It had not been a power-pack performance so far from the Indians. The heavy-weights had not tested their might against the side. It made the quarter-final match against rivals India, even more mouth watering.

The toss, in hindsight, may have been a blessing in disguise. Pakistan opted to bat and lost Sami Aslam off the first delivery itself.

Babar Azam struck a half-century but could not get a stable partner manning the other end. the duo of Sandeep Sharma and Ravikant Singh struck terror and they managed the support from fellow bowlers that Azam could not get.

Pakistan's batting collapsed like a pack of cards, the eventual score of a paltry 136. The Indians however, showed that they can even make a paltry target look decent.

Openers Chopra and Chand failed to click and fell off consecutive deliveries. Vihari too fell without opening his account.

The onus fell on Aparajith (51) to resist and he got the support of Zol (36) to edge closer to the target. Pakistan tried hard with Azizullah claiming three scalps but India did manage to crawl past the finishing line and enter the semi-final with exactly 12 balls to spare.

Semifinal: Against New Zealand ( Won by 9 runs )

It was yet another close contest at hand in the right to advance to the final. It was another innings when the Indian batsmen were rather off colour.

Asked to bat, the top-four batsmen had good knocks next to their names. Chopra (52), Chand (31), Aparajith (44) and Vihari (22) took India to  150 but from there, it was all about New Zealand.

Ben Horne took three wickets as Indian middle-order failed to build on a solid start, eventually folding on 209.

The bowlers however answered with all barrels loaded. Five bowlers were used and all of them at least got a wicket to seal a match which was every bit as close as the scoreline suggested - New Zealand losing their way on 200/9 in 50.