Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India continued their strong run in the Under-19 World Cup with another dominant win, beating New Zealand by seven wickets through the DLS method on Saturday. Skipper Ayush Mhatre led from the front with a brilliant 53 off just 27 balls, making the chase look easy despite weather interruptions.
The match was reduced to 37 overs per side after rain. India won the toss and chose to bowl first in damp conditions. Their decision paid off almost immediately. The Indian bowlers struck early and never allowed New Zealand to settle. RS Ambrish was outstanding with the ball, finishing with figures of 8-1-29-4. Henil Patel supported him well, picking up 3 wickets for 23 runs in 7.2 overs.New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They slipped to 69 for 7 as India stayed on top from the start. Snehith Reddy scored 10 and was the only batter among the top five to reach double figures. The lower order tried to fight back but the runs were never enough. Jacob Cotter made 23, Callum Samson scored 37 and Selwin Sanjay added 28. Even then, New Zealand were bowled out for 135 in 36.2 overs. Khilan Patel, Mohamed Enaan and Kanishk Chouhan chipped in with a wicket each.India were set a revised target of 130. They lost Aaron George early for 7, but the setback did not slow them down. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Mhatre put on a strong 76-run stand for the second wicket. Sooryavanshi smashed 40 off 23 balls with two fours and three sixes before getting out. Mhatre continued the attack and brought up his half-century in quick time.He was eventually out for 53, which included two fours and six sixes. After that, Vihaan Malhotra and Vedant Trivedi calmly finished the job. India reached 130 for 3 in just 13.3 overs, sealing their third straight win and the top spot in Group B.
