India’s colts continued their domination in the Under-19 World Cup as Yash Dhull led the team to their fifth U19WC title after they defeated England Under-19 by four wickets in the final of the tournament at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Saturday.

England’s captain Tom Prest won the toss and opted to bat first however they were put on the back foot from the get-go. The English team was reduced to 18-2 in the first four overs and their condition went from bad to worse as they lost six wickets within 17 overs and they were tottering at 61-6 at one stage.

Raja Bawa bowled at the top of his game as he scalped a five-wicket haul and conceded 31 runs in the 9.5 overs he bowled and played a key role in skittling the opposition at 189 runs. Furthermore, he scored 34 runs to help his team chase down the target. The Indian bowlers kept the pressure on the opposition while James Rew scored a fine knock of 95 runs to get his team to competitive score.

Ravi Kumar also contributed with the ball as he returned with impressive figures of 4-34. On the other hand, Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu scored fifties to help their team get over the line.

Yash Dhull said in the post-match presentation, “Proud moment for India, that we have managed to achieve this. It was difficult at the start to get the combination right. but as time went we became a family and the team atmosphere was good. Great moment to be playing under this lot of support staff”.

Dhull became the fifth Indian captain to win the title after Mohammad Kaif (2000), Virat Kohli (2008), Unmukt Chand (2012) and Prithvi Shaw (2018). Furthermore, India extended their Under-19 World Cup titles to five and they are the most successful team in the event.

India remained unbeaten throughout the tourney and they were able to come up with a collective effort. Thus, the future looks bright and in safe hands.