India Under-19 delivered a clutch seven-run victory over Australia Under-19 in a rain-shortened first Youth ODI in Rajkot on Friday, powered by a massive late push from Anvay Dravid and a solid half-century from Yashbardhan Chauhan. The match at Niranjan Shah Stadium was cut down to just 20 overs per side after the weather decided to play spoiler, setting the stage for an absolute sprint to the finish.
India’s Young Guns Drop a Monster Total
Man, India was sent in to bat first by Aussie skipper Jack Czosnek, and they wasted no time putting up a statement. They posted a wild 182 for six in their 20 overs, and it was a comeback for the ages. At one point, India was looking shaky, sitting at 88 for four in the 12th over. That’s when Yashbardhan Chauhan and Anvay Dravid stepped up huge. Chauhan dropped 54 runs off just 34 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. And then there’s Anvay, son of former India captain Rahul Dravid, who came in at No. 6 and absolutely went ballistic. He smashed an insane 38 runs off a mere 18 balls, with two fours and three sixes. That’s a ridiculous strike rate of 211.11, giving India the late runs they desperately needed and adding 69 runs with Chauhan to revive the innings. Also, we gotta talk about Aaryavir Sehwag, son of Virender Sehwag, making his India U-19 debut as an opener. He played a steady hand, scoring 28 off 26 balls, with five fours, and his legendary dad was right there watching him. India hammered out 108 runs in their final 10 overs, what a close-out!
Aussie Chase Falls Apart in the Clutch
Australia came out firing in their chase. Openers Neel Patel and Hayden Barbulovic got them off to a strong start, with Patel scoring 45 off 31 and Barbulovic adding 40 off 24. Captain Jack Czosnek kept the pressure on, putting up a brilliant 55 runs off just 27 balls to keep Australia in the hunt. But the game turned on a dime when Czosnek was dismissed in the 19th over. That was the moment Australia’s hopes pretty much evaporated. They ended up finishing at 175 for seven, seven runs shy of India’s total. Talk about a nail-biter! On the bowling side, Yashbardhan Chauhan wasn’t done making an impact. He was India’s most successful bowler, snagging two wickets for 28 runs in his four overs. What an all-round performance from that dude!
This first Youth ODI was an absolute thriller, especially with Anvay Dravid showing off that blistering strike rate. He had already repped India U-19 in Sri Lanka earlier this year, so clearly this kid is building momentum. You know the Aussies will be looking for revenge in the next game of this series after getting shut down by seven runs.
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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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