In a commanding display at the Under-19 World Cup, India steamrolled New Zealand by seven wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis method, securing their third consecutive victory and topping Group B. The match, played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, was marred by rain but did little to dampen India’s spirits.
New Zealand, invited to bat first after losing the toss, crumbled to 135 all out in 36.2 overs. Their innings started disastrously with opener Hugo Bog falling for a duck in just the second over, leaving them at 5/1. Captain Tom Jones followed soon after for 2 runs, and by the 7.1 over mark, they were reeling at 17/3 when rain interrupted play.
Resuming in a reduced 37-overs-a-side contest, New Zealand lost half their side for just 22 runs. Jaskaran Sandhu and Jacob Coter steadied the ship with a 37-run stand off 62 balls, Coter scoring 23 with two boundaries before departing. Later, Selwyn Sanjay and Kalem Samson added 53 for the eighth wicket, with Samson unbeaten on 37 and Sanjay making 28.
India’s bowlers dominated, led by RS Ambrish’s haul of 4/29 in eight overs. Henil Patel claimed three wickets, while Khilan Patel, Mohammad Anan, and Kanisk Chauhan picked up one each.
Chasing a revised target of 130, India raced home in 13.3 overs. Aaron George fell early for 7, but Vaibhav Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mhatre forged a blistering 76-run partnership off 39 balls for the second wicket. Suryavanshi smashed 40 off 23 balls, including three sixes and two fours, before Mhatre’s explosive 53 off 27 balls – featuring six sixes and two fours – sealed the chase.
Vedant Trivedi (13*) and Vihaan Malhotra (17*) finished off the job with an unbroken 29-run stand. New Zealand’s Mason Clarke, Sandhu, and Sanjay took a wicket each, but it was India’s day as they advance to Super Sixes Group 2, facing Zimbabwe on January 27 and Pakistan on February 1 in high-stakes clashes.
