Bulawayo: Young middle-order batter Vihaan Malhotra showed admirable composure to rediscover his touch and compile a fine century, while Abhigyan Kundu extended his sublime run of form as India stormed to a commanding 204-run victory over Zimbabwe in their opening Super Six match of the U-19 World Cup here on Tuesday.
India, after an all-win group-stage campaign in which they emphatically defeated the USA, Bangladesh, and New Zealand, continued their aggressive brand of cricket to pile up a mammoth 352 for 8.
The innings was anchored by Malhotra’s cautious yet confident unbeaten 109 (107 balls, 7×4) while Kundu chipped in with a fluent 61 (62 balls, 5×4, 1×6), as the hapless Zimbabwe bowlers were taken apart with alarming ease.
India’s pace-bowling duo didn’t let up, as RS Ambrish (2/19) and Henil Patel (1/25) bowled the first nine overs in tandem to completely overwhelm the Zimbabwean batters, reducing them to 24 for 3 by the ninth over.
Zimbabwe were eventually bundled out for 148 in 37.4 overs, giving India a superb start to their Super Six campaign.
India now have six points and are on top of Group 2 of the Super Six. India carried four points into the Super Six, having beaten New Zealand and Bangladesh, the other teams to have qualified. Since USA didn’t qualify, India’s points weren’t carried over.
Skipper Ayush Mhatre (3/14) bowled his part-time off-breaks to run through the late-order, completing the annihilation, while left-arm seamer Udhav Mohan also chipped in with three wickets.
India’s dominance was evident as they brought up their first 100 in just 62 balls, with batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi leading the charge. He piled on the runs with remarkable ease at the top, smashing a 52 off 30 balls, an innings studded with four boundaries and an equal number of sixes.
India did hit a minor roadblock in the 11th over, losing Mhatre (21) and Suryavanshi in quick succession to slide to 101 for 3. The setback, though, barely dented the momentum, with Malhotra and wicketkeeper-batter Kundu batting with composure and resolve to steady the innings.
Malhotra brought up his century off 104 deliveries as India continued to plunder runs. Zimbabwe’s persistence with the profligate pacer Nigel Mazai proved costly, with the bowler conceding 86 runs from his eight overs, effectively giving the opposition a licence to score freely.
Zimbabwe threw as many as eight bowlers at the Indian batters, but to little effect, as left-handers Malhotra and Kundu rotated the strike efficiently to add a 113-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The stand lifted India from a modest 130 for 4 to a commanding 243 for 5 by the 36th over.
Kundu’s consistency was once again on display as he brought up his second half-century in three innings. The left-hander had earlier smashed 80 against Bangladesh, while he was not required to bat in the last group match against New Zealand after the target was chased down before his turn. He had also remained unbeaten on 42 against the USA in the tournament opener.
Malhotra’s return to form will be heartening for India, as it provides the team with a reliable middle-order batter — an area that proved to be a lacuna during the group stage.
Malhotra also put on a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket with RS Ambrish (21) before joining forces with tailender Khilan Patel (30) for another valuable 47 runs, helping India breach the 350-run mark.
India’s bowlers took centre-stage after that, with their experienced attack conceding very little as Zimbabwe’s chase slowed dramatically after they lost three early wickets to the pace duo of Ambrish and Patel.
Former Zimbabwe all-rounder Andy Blignaut’s son Kian (37 off 73 balls) and Leeroy Chiwaula (62 off 77 balls) showed grit in their innings, but they couldn’t accelerate the scoring. The team reached 100 runs only in the 28th over, by which time the required run rate had climbed beyond a manageable level.
Brief scores: India 352 for 8 in 50 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 52, Vihaan Malhotra 109 not out, Abhigyan Kundu 61; Panashe Mazai 2/86, Tatenda Chimugoro 3/49, Simbarashe Mudzengerere 2/51) beat Zimbabwe 148 in 37.4 overs (Kian Blignaut 37, Leeroy Chiwaula 62; RS Ambrish 2/19, Henil Patel 1/25, Udhav Mohan 3/20, Ayush Mhatre 3/14) by 204 runs.
