India brush aside Bangladesh to commence U19 World Cup campaign on a stellar note

The Indian U19 cricket team got off to a rambunctious start in the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup as they tamed Bangladesh in a lopsided encounter. Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first, hoping to pick a few early wickets in Bloemfontein.

Marruf Mridha did get the early breakthroughs, dismissing Arshin Kulkarni (7) and Musheer Khan (3) in almost identical fashion. However, the complexion of the contest took a diametrical turn when the Indian skipper, Uday Saharan, joined forces with Adarsh Singh to stabilize the ship.

Putting up 116 runs for the third wicket, Adarsh led the charge with a sensational 76 while Uday continued to play second fiddle to the opener’s bedazzling brilliance. Chowdhur Md Rizwan managed to secure the all-important breakthrough as he got rid of Adarsh and shortly thereafter Uday was also on his way back to the hut for 64 as Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby handed India another telling blow.

Cameos from Priyanshu Moliya (23), Aravelly Avanish (23) and Sachin Dhas (26) allowed India to navigate the middle-order cross-currents and pile up a warring 251/7. Maruf Mridha was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowling lot with figures of 5/43.

Despite a decent show with the ball, the Bangladeshi batters crumbled like a house of cards as the Indian bowlers were bang on the money right from the word go. Raj Limbani and Saumy Pandey dealt the early clouts with Jishan Alam and Chowdhur Md Rizwan returning to the pavilion cheaply.

Pandey struck again in quick succession as Ashiqur Rahman Shibli barely found his foothold. Ariful Islam (41) fought alongside Mohammad Shihab James (54) but that wasn’t enough for the boys in Red and Green who were running fumes against the might of the Indian youth brigade.

Saumy Pandey struck two more wickets to make it a four-fer for him while he was aptly supported by Musheer Khan, who bagged a brace. The rest of the bowlers came in handy as well as they collectively stalled the Bangladeshi juggernaut without even breaking a sweat.

Team India secured a staggering win by 84 runs as Bangladesh were bundled out for 167. Adarsh Singh won the Player of the Match award for his exceptional batting flair on a surface that looked everything but easy for the batters.