Pacer Kartik Tyagi blew away the Australian top-order with a sensational spell to power India into the semi-finals of the ICC U-19 World Cup with a comfortable 74-run win here on Tuesday.
Kartik’s four wickets came after India recovered through Atharva Ankolekar’s combative half-century to reach 233 for nine, a modest total which the holders defended in impressive fashion.
Riding on Kartik’s spell (4/24) in which he swung the ball at a good pace, India bundled out Australia for 159 with 6.3 overs to spare in their Super League quarter final.
Put into bat, India lacked a substantial partnership until Atharva and Ravi Bishnoi raised a fighting 61-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Atharva scored an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls with five fours and a six. At the top, only opener Yashasvi Jaiswal put up a semblance of resistance against the Australian attack, scoring an 82-ball 62 with the help of six fours and two sixes.
Divyaansh Saxena (14), Tilak Varma (2), Priyam Garg (5) and Dhruv Jurel (15) all struggled. After losing one partner after another, Jaiswal went for a pull off Tanveer Sangha but edged the ball between his legs on to the stumps.
Before Sangha came on to bowl, bespectacled off-spinner Todd Murphy (2/40) troubled the Indian batsmen.
Jurel timed the ball well but often found the fielders, which pulled down his scoring rate. The dismissal of Jaiswal hit India’s run rate. Under pressure, Jurel went after Murphy but ballooned the ball up for wicketkeeper Rowe to take an easy catch.
Siddesh Veer too got out soon, leaving the tail-enders with an unenviable task to up the run rate. Bishnoi and Atharva largely worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard ticking, taking advantage of the Powerplay overs.
Bishnoi ended the boundary drought when he drove Sangha through the cover region. Atharva guided Sully for a four behind square and then through the covers, to raise the team’s 200.
Brief scores: India U-19 233/9 in 50 ovs (Y. Jaiswal 62, A. Ankolekar 55 n.o.). Australia U-19 159 in 43.3 (S. Fanning 75; Kartik Tyagi 4/24, Akash Singh 3/30). India won by 74 runs.
