The Under-19 Indian Cricket team reached finals of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, here on Tuesday. The U-19 colts beat the Pakistan U-19 ruthlessly in the second ICC World Cup Semi-final of the tournament and marched its way in the Final. The Indian team has had an unbeaten run in the tournament as they defeated Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in their successful journey in the finals.

India will now have another daunting task at hand as they face Australia (again) in the Final, in order to win their fourth U-19 World Cup Title. The ICC U-19 World Cup final will be played at Bay Oval Stadium in Tauranga (New Zealand). The match will be a LIVE telecast on Saturday, February 03, on Star Network.

Match 1: India vs Australia, Sunday, 14th January | Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand

India began their U-19 World Cup campaign by defeating Australia in their opening game. Captain Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, and Shubham Gill all scored half-centuries and a late-impetus by Abhishek Sharma helped India post an above-par score of 328 runs as the target. The Australians were never there in the chase as they kept losing wickets at timely intervals. Only Jack Edwards had a decent outing for the Aussies as he managed to pick 4 wickets and scored 73 runs.

The highlights of the match were the bowling duo of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi bowling at fiery speed and troubling the Australians with their quick-lightning speed. Both the bowlers picked up 3 wickets each as India bowled out Australia on 228 runs, and won the match by 100 runs! Man of the Match: Indian Captain Prithvi Shaw was adjudged as the Player of the Match.

Match 2: India vs Papua New Guinea, Tuesday, 16th January | Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand

India cantered to another win as they beat Papua New Guinea in their second match. Batting first, the PNG team wasn’t shown any mercy by the Indian quick-bowlers and spinners and the team folded for a paltry 64 runs. In their reply, India led by captain Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra wrapped up the match in just nine overs. Shaw scored another spectacular half-century and remained unbeaten on 57 runs, scoring them off 39 balls only.

The highlights of the match were how the Indian bowlers ran through the PNG line-up in no time. Fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti bagged two and one wickets respectively, while the wrecker-in-chief Anukul Roy bagged five wickets. The left-arm spinner took a maiden five-for in his menacing spell as India eventually won the match by 10 wickets. Man of the Match: Anukul Roy was decided as the Player of the Match.

Match 3: India vs Zimbabwe, Friday, 19th January | Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand

Another outing, another Indian thrashing. Only this time, the opponents were Zimbabwe. Going high on momentum, India bowled out the Zimbabwean team for only 154 runs. Bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma took two wickets each, while Shivam Mavi and Riyan Parag got one wicket each. In their reply, openers Harvik Desai and Shubham Gill knit-up a superb 150+ runs stand as India chased down the target without losing a wicket.

The highlight of the match was Shubham Gill who remained unbeaten after scoring a swashbuckling 90 runs for only 59 balls. Anukul Roy, Man of the Match in the previous match against PNG, showed another brilliant display of spin as he took four wickets. India won the match by 10 wickets, again! Man of the Match: Shubham Gill was adjudged as the Player of the Match.

Match 4: India vs Bangladesh, Super League Quarter-Final 4, Friday, 26th January | John Davies Oval, Queenstown, New Zealand

India faced-off against Bangladesh in their quarter-final bout. The U-19 Indian team saw brilliant performances from its batsmen as Shubham Gill and Abhishek Sharma scored half-centuries; contributions from Harvik Desai and Prithvi Shaw ensured that India posted a fighting total (of 265 runs) on the board. In their reply, Bangladesh folded on 134 runs as Indian bowlers proved to be too good for the minnows.

The highlights of the match were the deadly bowling combo of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi wrecking-havoc while bowling serious pace. The combo shared five wickets between them. India won the match convincingly by a margin of 134 runs. Man of the Match: Shubham Gill was judged as the Player of the Match again, his second of the ICC U-19 World Cup tournament.

Match 5: India vs Pakistan, Super League Semi-Final 2, Tuesday, 30th January | John Davies Oval, Queenstown, New Zealand

India beating Pakistan in the semi-final of the tournament was not less than a thrashing. The Indian Colts posted a par score of 272 on the scoreboard in their first innings with contributions from Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Shubham Gill, and Anukul Roy. In their reply, the Pakistani side didn’t show any fight as their side were all-out for only 69.

The highlights of the match were Shubham Gill as he scored a century and remained unbeaten on 102; Ishan Porel was the pick of the bowlers as he ran through the Pakistani top-order and claimed four wickets; Shiva Singh and Riyan Parag shared two wickets each too. India won the match by a mammoth margin of 203 runs. Man of the Match: Shubham Gill was the Player of the Match again, his third of this World Cup tournament.

Under the able leadership of Coach Rahul Dravid, and Captain Prithwi Shaw India has outplayed its opponents in every department – be it batting, bowling, or fielding – on each occasion. In every match, a bunch of players has stepped up their performances putting forward a great team show. We take a look at the stellar show of Indian contingent that has impressed millions back homes and around the globe. The ICC U-19 World Cup Final is on February 3, and we hope it will be a close-fought contest. Stay tuned for more such updates about ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2018 12:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).