Onus on Indian spinners in U-19 WC semi-final against Australia
Much to India’s relief, they have a full squad to pick from for the semi-final. All-rounder Nishant Sindhu has also recovered from Covid after missing the quarter-final victory against Bangladesh.
Over the 13 completed editions of the U-19 World Cup, India and Australia have been the most successful teams with four and three titles respectively. It is illustrative of two things: the depth of talent in the two countries and the systems they have put in place from the junior level onwards. Only one of them, though, will get a shot at adding to their tally as they lock horns in the second semi-final of the 2022 edition in Antigua on Wednesday.
Although both teams have been affected by Covid cases, it hasn’t hindered their progress. Much to India’s relief, they have a full squad to pick from for the semi-final. All-rounder Nishant Sindhu has also recovered from Covid after missing the quarter-final victory against Bangladesh. The southpaw from Haryana is likely to slot back in at No 5 instead of Siddharth Yadav.
“It wasn’t difficult for the players to come back from Covid. We were getting regular calls from VVS Laxman sir (head of National Cricket Academy and with the team in the Caribbean) telling us to be in the right mindset for the games,” said India U-19 skipper Yash Dhull. The Delhi boy was among six players in his side to test Covid positive.
India owe a large share of their success to the bowling unit, which hasn’t conceded a total in excess of 187 so far. That effort came in the opening game against South Africa when they had only 232 runs to defend. Since then, India's opponents have been skittled for 133, 79 and 111.
The new-ball pair of Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Ravi Kumar has set the tone, invariably picking up wickets in their opening spells to peg the opposition back. While Hangargekar is the quicker of the two, the left-arm angle and swing of Kumar provides a varied threat. He took three wickets in his initial burst against Bangladesh and then allowed the spinners to do their bit on a helpful surface at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Given that the venue is the same for the semi-final, another low-scoring encounter could be on the cards. The two quarter-finals at Coolidge saw the side batting first finish at 111 and 134.
Against the Australians, there will be a bigger onus on the Indian spinners to shoulder the responsibility. The Australian batters, in keeping with their traditional strengths, haven’t had much trouble against pacers. Their only defeat came against Sri Lanka in the group stage, when eight of the 10 Australian wickets fell to spin. Sri Lanka captain Dunith Wellalage took five of those for just 28 runs in 10 frugal overs of left-arm spin.
Even in the quarter-final against Pakistan that Australia won comprehensively, off-spinner Qasim Akram inflicted maximum damage with figures of 10-0-40-3.
India have no shortage of spin options. Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal is among the top-10 wicket-takers in the event, his nine wickets in four matches included a five-for against South Africa.
“Spinners’ role will be important. They create pressure for us by focusing on bowling dot balls,” said Dhull. “Ostwal has turn and bounce and gets good grip. He will be very effective on this pitch. He is one of my go-to bowlers.”
Ostwal will be backed by off-spinner Kaushal Tambe and left-arm spinner Sindhu. Opening batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi can also contribute a few overs of part-time off-spin.
For the Aussies, opener Teague Wyllie has a key role to play with the bat. The West Australian has racked up scores of 71, 101* and 86* in three of his last four innings, adapting well to the slower pitches of the Caribbean despite learning his cricket in Perth.
There will also be added focus on Indian-origin all-rounder Nivethan Radhakrishnan. The ambidextrous Australian spinner began with four wickets in his first two games but missed the last two games due to Covid. He is expected to be fit for the semi-final.
