India win U-19 World Cup for 4th Time

ONI Bureau: The Indian Boys proved their mettle yet again by lifting the U-19 World Cup for a record 4th time. They thrashed Australia by 8 wickets in the final at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. They managed to score just 216 in 47.2 overs. Jonathan Merlo was th top scorer with 76, while Param Uppal made 34. For India, Ishan Porel, Shiva Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Anukul Roy took two wickets each.

Chasing a victory target of 217, India rode high on an unbeaten hundred by Manojot Kalra (101*) and reached 220/2 in 38.5 overs. Prithvi Shaw (29), Shubman Gill (31) and Harvik Desai (47*) were the other top contributors. Manjot Kalra was declared ‘Player of the Match’, while Shubman Gill won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.

The BCCI has announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh for Rahul Dravid, Head Coach, U-19 Team and Rs 30 lakh each for all players. Members of the support staff will get Rs 20 lakh each.