India will be keen to make their semi-final entry a grand affair when they face a struggling Nepal in their final Group 1 Super Six match of the ICC Under-19 World Cup here on Friday.
The top two sides from the two Super Six groups will progress to the semi-finals.
Pakistan (+1.06) are close on their heels with six points but India (+3.32) occupy the top slot because of a better net run-rate.
The tournament favourites under Uday Saharan are yet to taste defeat in the tournament and Nepal are unlikely to pose a tough challenge.
India’s dominance is visible in the stats as well. They are on top of Group 1 with an all-win record and six points, while Nepal are yet to notch up any victory.
Musheer Khan, the younger brother of prolific Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz, leads the batting charts with 325 runs averaging over 81 with two hundreds, with his latest blitz coming against New Zealand on January 30.
Musheer’s 131 off 126 balls was the leading light in India’s thumping 214-run win over the Kiwis in their first Super Six match.
Saumy Pandey then wreaked havoc on the New Zealand line-up with a four-wicket haul. The left-arm spinner (12 wickets) shares the top spot among the bowlers with Pakistan’s Ubaid Shah and South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka.
Match starts: 1.30pm IST
