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L-R: Ayush Mhatre with the bat and RS Ambrish shone with the ball during India vs New Zealand U19 World Cup league match. (PHOTO: ICC)
Ayush Mhatre answered his critics in emphatic fashion, smashing a 24-ball half-century as India cruised past New Zealand by seven wickets in their final league-stage match of the Under-19 World Cup in Bulawayo.
Coming into the game under scrutiny after a string of modest scores, the Indian captain showed a marked shift in approach while chasing a revised DLS target of 130 in 37 overs. Walking in at No. 3 after an early wicket, Mhatre stood tall against New Zealand’s quicks, taking on the short ball with authority rather than caution.
Tested early by Mason Clarke and Flynn Morey, Mhatre countered in style. He unfurled a four and six off Morey in the fifth over before launching Clarke for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket an over later. Another maximum off Jaskaran Sandhu followed soon after, underlining a transformation from the batter who had struggled against bounce earlier in the tournament.
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Measured yet brutal, Mhatre mixed power with placement and never allowed the bowlers to settle. His sixth six — a slog-sweep off off-spinner Selwin Sanjay — brought up a scintillating half-century off just 24 balls.
At the other end, Vaibhav Suryavanshi provided perfect support. The left-hander was inventive and aggressive, particularly through the off side, as the pair added 76 runs in just 39 balls to all but seal the chase. Mhatre eventually fell for 53 off 27 balls, but by then India needed only 29 more, which Vihaan Malhotra and Vedant Trivedi knocked off without fuss.
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Earlier, India’s bowlers had laid the foundation with a disciplined display in a rain-shortened contest. Opting to bowl first in a 47-over match, India struck twice inside the first five overs through RS Ambrish, who removed Hugo Bogue and Jones to leave New Zealand reeling at 9 for 2. Henil Patel’s accuracy was rewarded when he trapped Aryan Mann lbw soon after.
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A lengthy rain delay reduced the match to 37 overs per side, but the momentum stayed firmly with India. Ambrish returned after the break to deliver a searing yorker that uprooted Marco Alpe’s stumps, while spinners Mohamed Enaan and Kanishk Chouhan tightened the screws through the middle overs.
A late 53-run stand for the eighth wicket between Sanjay and Callum Samson lifted New Zealand past 100, but it only served to add respectability to the total. India’s chase was swift and authoritative, maintaining their unbeaten run heading into the knockout stage.
Brief scores: New Zealand 135 all out in 36.2 overs (Samson 37*; Ambrish 4/29, Henil 3/23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Mhatre 53, Suryavanshi 40) by seven wickets.
Based in Mumbai, Shankar Narayan has over five years of experience and his reporting has ranged from the Ranji Trophy to ICC World Cups, and he writes extensively on women’s cricket. ... Read More
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