The Priyam Garg led- Indian side became the first semifinalist of the ongoing ICC under-19 world cup on defeating three-time champions Australia at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom by 74 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and No.7 Atharva Ankolekar started with the bat with their respective half-centuries while Kartik Tyagi, the Man of the Match, tore apart the Aussie top-order, finishing with 4 for 24 in eight overs. India now await the result of the quarterfinal match between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Put to bat first, India made a cautious start on the slowish track before losing Divyansh Saxena on 14 in the penultimate ball of the 10th over. The middle-order failed to withstand the pressure and lost two more in a space of next five overs, but Yashasvi remained India's key in the build-up. The opener smashed six boundaries and two sixes en route to his knock of 62 runs off 82 deliveries.
On his dismissal by Tanveer Sangha, little was expected of the untested lower order, but Atharva pulled off a gritty 55 off 54, lacing five boundaries and a solitary six while No.8 Ravi Bishnoi added 30 off 31. The lower-order effort saw India ending with 233 on the scoreboard after losing nine wickets.
The bowlers responded clinically. After the run-out of opener Jake Fraser-McGurk in the very first ball of the innings, Australia lost their skipper Mackenzie Harvey in the fourth ball and Lachlan Hearne in the fifth ball.
Tyagi's brilliance helped India reduce Australia to 4 for three in the very first over. He returned for his next over to dismiss Oliver Davies and Patrick Rowe, in his second spell before Ravi Bishnoi's dismissal of Liam Scott exposed the tail end of the Aussie batting lineup.
"Our start was very good but they bowled well then. We lost three wickets cheaply but we came back well. We thought, it was a good score. With our bowling line-up, we thought even 180 would be a fine score. At the half time, we knew we had a total to defend. We have been preparing for this for the last one and a half years. We know each other well and we back each other. We knew we had a score to defend when we had 230. And that first over was amazing. Every team has come here to win the World Cup. We will play the rest of the matches win the same intensity," said skipper Garg after the match.
