OTD| India won a record fourth Under-19 World Cup in 2018

On This Day | OTD India won a record fourth Under-19 World Cup in 2018. The Men in Blue have been a force to reckon with when it comes to the Under-19 World Cup. India is the most successful team in this competition with record five titles to their name. On this day India won their fourth Under-19 World Cup in 2018 under the stewardship of Rahul Dravid. 

Summit Clash with Australia

India reached the final with phenomenal form throughout the tournament but the last hurdle was surely a challenging one as the Australians are always threatening in knockouts. The Australian skipper Jason Sangha won the toss and opted to bat first. But the Indian team did not let the opposition dictate the play as the Indian bowlers picked up early wickets. In the middle phase when a few crucial partnerships were being made by the Australian batters the Indians did not take a step back and continued to be aggressive in their approach. 

Australia could only manage to accumulate 216 runs before they got bowled out. Jonathan Merlo was the highest run-scorer for the Kangaroos and it was his batting effort that led Australia to a fighting total. 

A commanding run-chase

The Indian team showed no vulnerabilities in the second innings as the Blue Colts were ready to grind hard to lay their hands on the fourth Under-19 title. The openers, Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra gave India a solid start as the pair added 71 runs for the first wicket. However, Prithvi could not capitalize on his start and lost his prized wicket. But there was no adverse impact of his dismissal as Manjot Kalra led the run-chase with utmost ease. The left-handed opener scored a memorable century in the final and along with him Shubman Gill and Harvik Desai also played vital knocks to ensure a smooth run-chase for India. Eventually, the Indians chased the target with more than ten overs to spare. It was a huge moment for the young guns and especially Prithvi Shaw who led this team to glory.