India will be meeting neighbours Bangladesh in the final of the 2020 U-19 World Cup, after the side defeated New Zealand in the second semifinal of the tournament on Thursday. Bangladesh defeated the Kiwis by 6 wickets to set up a final showdown against the defending champions.
India had earlier defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets in the first semifinal of the tournament.
While India will be aiming for a record fifth title, Bangladesh will be making their maiden final appearance in the tournament’s history. India had defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the final of the previous edition of the U19 World Cup, when the side was led by Prithvi Shaw and coached by legendary former Indian batsman Rahul Dravid.
Electing to field first, Bangladesh dominated New Zealand throughout the game, restricting the Kiwis to 211/8 in 50 overs. Beckham Wheeler-Greenall was the sole batsman who challenged the Bangladesh bowlers, as he remained unbeaten on 75 to steer New Zealand to 200-run mark in the game.
Shoriful Islam took three wickets for Bangladesh, while Shamim Hossain and Hasan Murad picked two wickets-each.
In the chase, Mahmudul Hasan Joy slammed a brilliant century as he guided the side to a cruising six-wicket win. Towhid Hridoy and Shahadat Hossain also made significant contributions, scoring 40 runs-each in the chase.
Mahmudul was named the Man of the Match.
In the first semifinal, Yashasvi Jaiswal also scored a century, as he reached the three-figure mark with a six which also sealed India’s 10-wicket victory over Pakistan.
Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali said his team will have to play its best cricket to upstage India.
“We will play it as a normal game. We can’t take the pressure of thinking that this is our first final. India is a very good side, and we have to play our ‘A’ game. We have to do the best in all three departments. Bangladeshi cricket fans are crazy, and I hope we will continue to get the same support that we’ve been getting,” said Ali at the post-match presentation.
