Ind v SL U19 World Cup Semi-final: Feisty win takes India to their 5th final

India U19 eased past their counterparts Sri Lanka to advance one step closer to the coveted trophy. Indian bowlers did a fantastic job to bundle out the Sri Lankans for a paltry 170 while defending 268 runs.

Sri Lanka won the toss and put India into bat on an overcast morning. India had a relatively slow start today as openers Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan had a rare off day and fell cheaply.

But, Anmolpreet Singh (72 runs) and Sarfraz Khan (59 runs) brought the Indians dominance back. Washington Sundar (43 runs) also played well, helping the team reach a comfortable position by the time the death overs arrived.

Later on, Armaan Jaffer (29 from 16 balls), Mahipal Lomror (11 from 8 balls) and Mayank Dagar (17 from 10 balls) played explosive cameos to take India to a respectable 267/9 after 50 overs. The Lankan bowlers also did a good job and managed to contain the Indians to some extent by taking wickets in the final moments of the first innings.

In reply, the Sri Lankans turned out to be a complete failure with the bat. They started off very poorly with openers Kaveen Bandara and Avishka Fernando failing badly. Skipper Asalanka also failed to deliver in the crucial match.

Kamindu Mendis and Shammu Ashan then batted for an 49 runs stand spanning close to 14 overs. Both kept the scoreboard moving with singles and doubles and had revived the hopes of a comeback in the match. The Indians also missed a couple of chances in the meanwhile. But, left arm spinner Mayank Dagar finally managed to put the brakes on the growing partnership after he managed to get Mendis caught at short fine leg.

Indians, however, also suffered a setback in the field as they lost two bowlers due to injuries within a short span of time. Rahul Batham and Mahipal Lomror both hurt themselves while fielding and had to be taken out.

After a while, Ashan (38 runs) also got run out to put Sri Lanka in deep troubles. The game quickly reached its conclusion from this stage as the Indian bowlers managed to strike regular blows. The seamers rattled the lower middle order while Dagar chipped in with two quick wickets to clean the tail off.

Courtesy to this wonderful bowling performance, India wrapped the match with a margin of 97 runs to advance to the finals. They will now meet the winner of the second semi-final between West Indies and Bangladesh.

Brief Scores:

India U19: 267/9 in 50 overs (Anmolpreet Singh 72; Asitha Fernando 4/43)

Sri Lanka U19: 170 all out in 42.2 overs (Kamindu Mendis 39; Mayank Dagar 3/21)

Man of the Match: Anmolpreet Singh