New Delhi: India crushed Japan by 211 runs in a Group A clash of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2024 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to register their first win of the campaign in the continental tournament. The huge win helped the Boys in Blue bounce back from the disappointing loss against arch-rivals Pakistan in emphatic fashion.
Sent into to bat first in hot conditions, the India U-19 team posted a formidable total of 339 for 6 in 20 overs courtesy of a magnificent unbeaten century by skipper Mohamed Amaan. Besides the captain, opening batter Ayush Mhatre and allrounder KP Karthikeya made useful contributions to power India to a mammoth total.
In reply, Japan made a decent start to reach 50 without loss in 13 overs but the massive target was always going to be too big a task for the minnows. After getting the opening wicket, the Indian bowlers tightened the noose and didn’t allow the Japanese batters to play with any freedom.
In the end, Japan could only muster 128 for 8 wickets in the allotted 50 overs. One of the positives for Japan would be the fact that they weren’t bowled out against their much-fancied opponents.
For India, Hardik Raj and Karthikeya bagged two wickets each while Yudhajit Guha bowled a superb spell of 7 overs, in which he conceded just 9 runs and picked up a wicket. For Japan, opening batter Hugo Kelly top-scored with 50 while Nihal Pirmar (13) and Charles Hinze (35*) were the only other batters to reach the double digits.
Much-needed win for Boys in Blue after Pakistan loss
It was a much-needed win for India, who were completely outplayed in their opening match against Pakistan in all three departments. The fixture against a weak opponent like Japan couldn’t have come at a better time for India, who will go forward in the tournament with good momentum. The huge win will also give a big boost to the Net Run Rate (NRR), which might also come in handy in the latter part of the league stages.
The Indians got off to a brilliant start thanks to the opening pair of Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young duo stitched a brisk 65-run stand for the first wicket off just 44 balls to give India a solid start. Suryvanshi, India’s youngest crorepati after being bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore at the IPL auction, scored 23 off 23 while his partner Mhatre scored 54 off 29 balls.
Skipper Amaan was the star of the show courtesy of a magnificent century. Amaan led from the front and played a superb unbeaten knock of 122 off 118 balls to guide India to a massive total.
Meanwhile, Karthikeya smashed 57 off 50 balls to give late impetus to India’s innings.
India’s next match is against UAE on December 4, Wednesday.
India U19 vs Japan U19: India got their campaign off the mark with a thumping 211-run win over Japan in a Group A match in Sharjah. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
