U19 World Cup: Vihaan Malhotra, Vaibhav Suryavanshi help India beat Bangladesh by 18 runs

A brilliant all-round performance from Vihaan Malhotra, who returned figures of 4 for 14, combined with a blazing half-century from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, helped India secure an 18-run victory over Bangladesh via the DLS method in their second match of the U19 World Cup at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

India endured a shaky start after losing two wickets in the third over, with captain Ayush Mhatre dismissed for 6 and Vedant Trivedi falling for a golden duck. As wickets tumbled, Suryavanshi kept his composure and counter-attacked with a fluent knock, finding the boundary regularly.

Also Read: Mohammed Kaif slams BCCI selectors for overlooking THIS all-rounder from ODIs

Bangladesh struck again near the end of the powerplay by removing Malhotra for 7, but Suryavanshi reached his half-century off just 30 balls and stitched together a vital partnership with Abhigyan Kundu to steady the innings. Just as India looked set for a recovery, Iqbal Hossain Emon halted the momentum with two quick wickets, including the prized scalp of Suryavanshi, who fell for 72.

Kundu continued to anchor the innings and brought up a fine half-century before rain intervened, reducing the contest to 49 overs per side. After play resumed, India were eventually bowled out for 238, with Kundu top-scoring with 80.

Read More: Teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi rewrites U-19 World Cup record books

Bangladesh began their chase on a poor note, losing a wicket in the opening over, but recovered to reach 54 for 1 after ten overs. Another rain delay led to a revised target of 165 from 29 overs.

At 102 for 2 after 20 overs, Bangladesh appeared well placed, but the return of Malhotra turned the match on its head. He broke a 44-run partnership and triggered a collapse that saw Bangladesh lose their last eight wickets for just 40 runs. Azizul Hakim Tamim hit a six and brought up a half-century, but Malhotra’s second spell, supported by Khilan Patel and Henil Patel, sealed a dramatic win for India.

You May Like: Ellyse Perry got divorced and Murali Vijay got trolled! Check hilarious memes

India eventually wrapped up the match to register a memorable 18-run victory.