India U19 defeat SA by 9 wickets in the first ODI

The Indian Under-19 side defeated South Africa Under-19 by nine wickets after producing a stellar all-round display at the Buffalo Park in East London. Batting first, the South Africans were bowled out for just 187 in less than 49 overs, which was easily chased down by the Boys in Blue, who took just 42.3 overs to chase down the target. They lost a wicket in the process as they took a 1-0 lead in the Youth ODI series.

The Proteas opted to bat first after winning the toss, but the decision backfired as the top order was constantly troubled by the Indian bowlers. The batters failed to convert their sides, with only Luke Beaufort managing to score more than 50 runs. He made a fine knock of 64 in 91 balls, lending the side something to play with. Jack Lees was the second highest run scorer for the side, with 27 runs.

For the Indian Under-19 team, it was Ravi Bishnoi who led the bowling attack, picking up three wickets while conceding 36 runs. Kartik Tyagi, who along with Bishnoi was picked up in the IPL auctions held ten days ago in Kolkata, picked up 2 wickets. Shubhang Hegde and Atharva Ankolekar too got two scalps each.

The run chase began on an aggressive and a positive note as the Indian openers, Divyaansh Saxena and Tilak Verma, shared a massive 127-run stand to all but seal the game for the team. While Saxena was unbeaten on 86, Varma was dismissed after making 59. His dismissal sent Kumar Kushagra to the crease, who combined with Saxena to take the team home with 7.3 overs to spare. Kushagra was unbeaten on 43.

India and South Africa will meet for the second Youth One Day International on Saturday.

Brief Scores:

India Under-19: 190 for 1 (Divyaansh Saxena 86, Tilak Varma 59; Achille Cloete 1 for 42) beat South Africa Under-19: 187 all out (Luke Beaufort 64, Jack Lees 27; Ravi Bishnoi 3 for 36) by nine wickets.