5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE U19 WORLD CUP

India suffered a telling defeat in the hands of Australia to finish as the runners-up at the ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa. Both teams headed into the final having gone unbeaten in six matches. Australia got decent runs on the board, managing 253/7...

India suffered a telling defeat in the hands of Australia to finish as the runners-up at the ICC U-19 World Cup in South Africa. Both teams headed into the final having gone unbeaten in six matches. Australia got decent runs on the board, managing 253/7 in 50 overs. India were outplayed with the bat, folding for 174 in 43.5 overs. Australia had four players who got 40-plus scores and these key mini partnerships helped them. For India, lack of application hurt the side as they failed to defend the title. Adarsh Singh and Murugan Abhishek were the only players with some fight with the bat for India, who were 122/8 at one stage. Mahli Beardman was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3/15 from 7 overs.

India were behind on a surface that helped pacers with lateral movement and pace on offer. Like the senior men’s team, India dominated the World Cup but lost the all-important final after struggling with the bat on an important day. For Australia, it’s raining in ICC tournaments. Australia’s senior team beat India in the ICC World Test Championship final in June 2023 before winning the men’s ODI World Cup in November. And now the Colts have claimed a massive title. For the third time, India have failed to get past the line men’s and U-19.

Here, we present the 5 key takeaways from India’s perspective.

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