NEW DELHI: In their final Group 1 Super Six encounter of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein on Friday, India will be keen to make their semifinal entry a spectacular event against a struggling Nepal.
The toppers of the two Super Six groups will advance to the semifinals.
With six points, Pakistan (+1.06) is right behind them, but India (+3.32) holds the top spot due to a higher net run rate.
Under
Uday Saharan
, the tournament favorites have yet to experience a loss, and Nepal is unlikely to even test this formidable team.
India's statistical superiority is also evident. With six points and an all-win record, they lead Group 1, while Nepal has not yet claimed a win.
The younger brother of Mumbai cricketer Sarfaraz,
Musheer Khan
, tops the batting chart with 325 runs at an average of over 81 and two hundreds. His most recent blitz was on January 30 against New Zealand.
India defeated the Kiwis by 214 runs in their opening Super Six encounter, with Musheer scoring 131 off 126 balls as the main contributor.
After that,
Saumy Kumar Pandey
wrecked havoc on the New Zealand line-up by taking four wickets.
With 12 wickets, the left-arm spinner is now tied for first place in the bowling standings with Kwena Maphaka of South Africa and
Ubaid Shah
of Pakistan.
Nevertheless, India's team is deeper than just those two prominent players.
At different points during the match, captain
Saharan
, wicketkeeper batsman Aravalli Avanish, and dynamic all-rounder
Arshin Kulkarni
have also left their mark.
The young players will be confident as they head to Benoni for the final four encounter, keen to end their Super Six outings on a strong note.
After struggling to score runs consistently, opener Adarsh Singh may have gained a lot of confidence after scoring 52 against New Zealand, his second fifty in this tournament.
Naman Tiwary, a left-arm bowler who has successfully controlled run-flow in the Power Play, might be a bothersome presence for Nepal's top-order batsmen.
It would be foolish, though, to write off Nepal after they upset Afghanistan in the first round. The squad from the foothills of the Himalayas is capable of surprising the powerful on occasion.
The stars of that victory were medium pacer Akash Chand (5/34) and captain Dev Khanal (58), and they would want to leave an impression once more. India, however, would aim to steer clear of any accidents and advance safely to the semifinals.
Teams (from):
India U19: Uday Saharan (c), Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel,
Sachin Dhas
, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Aravelly Avanish Rao, Saumy Kumar Pandey, Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan, Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani and Naman Tiwari
Nepal U19: Dev Khanal (c), Arjun Kumal, Aakash Tripathi, Dipak Prasad Dumre, Durgesh Gupta, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Dipesh
Prasad Kandel
, Bishal Bikram KC,
Subhash Bhandari
, Deepak Bohara, Dipak Bohara, Uttam Rangu Thapa Macar, Bipin Rawal, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Akash Chand
(With PTI inputs)
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