The Indian team lost to Australia in the U-19 World Cup Final final at Benoni. It was a heavy drubbing for the boys in blue and will take some time for the young lads to recover from this setback. However, they can be proud of their campaign and take lessons from their mistakes to get better in the future. In this article, we will take a look at the top 3 reasons why India could not cross the final hurdle against the Kangaroos in the final.
1. No Consolidation
The Indian team lost the toss but they made a brilliant start by getting an early wicket of opener Sam Konstas who was dismissed for a duck by the in-form Raj Limbani with the peach of a delivery that uprooted the stumps. However, after this impressive start, there was no consolidation from the Indian bowlers who let the Aussies build partnerships to bring them back into the match. The middle phase was dominated by Australia which helped them post a massive total.
2. Death bowling – A concern
Death bowling became a major area of concern for India in the final against the 4-time champions. Team India had reduced Australia to 6/187 in 39.5 overs and from there, it could have been a quick wrap up but the Indians lost the grip in the last 10 overs. Oliver Peake played a crucial 46-run knock to give Australia the final flourish that they needed the most. Runs made in the last 10 overs proved costly to India as these became the real difference in the summit clash in the end.
3. Indian Middle Order – Demolished
The middle order was the biggest strength for India in this tournament. Right throughout the World Cup, the Indian middle order kept delivering but unfortunately, the young guns faltered at the most important step. Key figures in the middle order like skipper Uday Saharan, Musheer Khan, and Sachin Dhas could not step up with their batting performance which made the run-chase very difficult for India.