Live Scorecard
Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field
Bangladesh decided to field first and make most of the early assistance in Bloemfontein. Maruf Mridha was on song with the new ball, and troubled the India batters with his left-arm angle. He accounted for all-rounder Arshin Kulkarni and Musheer Khan early in the innings to give the young Tigers an early advantage.
Adarsh Singh and skipper Uday Saharan then put their foot down, and ensured that India went ahead at a brisk pace. The left-right combination worked to perfection as the duo added 116 runs for the third wicket, overseeing two-thirds of the second Powerplay. Adarsh (76) eventually fell while trying to loft Rizwan Chowdhury over mid-off.
Bangladesh were able to stem the flow of runs, and this resulted in another breakthrough, in the form of the set Saharan (64). Aravelly Avanish (23 from 17) starred with a cameo to add crucial runs in the death overs. Another brisk knock from Sachin Dhas (26 from 20) helped add some crucial runs to the India total. Maruf returned to garner two more wickets, and ensured that India were restricted to 251/7.
Bangladesh openers looked compact against India’s new ball pair. Even as Naman Tiwari struggled for control, Ashiqur Rahman Shibli and Jishan Alam added a brisk 38 for the first wicket. The Boys in Blue, finally, struck in the 8th over, when Alam tried to pierce a Raj Limbani delivery past the covers, but was brilliantly caught by Murugan Abhishek. Right after, India vice-captain Saumy Pandey made a sensational entry in his U19 World Cup debut, picking back-to-back wickets to rock the Bangladesh innings.
Kulkarni also joined the wicket-takers’ list by trapping Ahrar Amin (5) leg before wicket. A valiant fifth-wicket stand between Ariful Islam and Mohammad Shihab James rescued Bangladesh from dire straits. The duo batted patiently to bring the Young Tigers closer to their ask.
However, Ariful fell to Musheer Khan in the 35th over to give India the advantage. The Bangladesh innings unravelled thereafter. The left-arm spin of Saumy Pandey yielded four wickets, while Musheer ended with two scalps to his name.