India's Dominant Start in England
The Indian Under-19 cricket team kicked off their tour of England with an impressive six-wicket win in the opening Youth ODI held on Friday. A strong bowling performance set the stage for the young batsmen, particularly Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, who laid a solid foundation while pursuing a target of 175 runs.
Bowling Excellence
The Indian bowlers excelled, restricting England to just 174 runs in 42.2 overs. Key contributions came from spinners Kanishk Chouhan, who took 3 wickets for 20 runs, and Mohamed Enaan, who claimed 2 for 37. Fast bowlers RS Ambrish and Henil Patel also made significant impacts with figures of 2/24 and 2/41, respectively. Rocky Flintoff was the standout performer for England, scoring a resilient 56 runs off 90 deliveries.
Suryavanshi and Mhatre Shine in the Chase
India's innings began with a flourish as openers Suryavanshi and Mhatre amassed 70 runs in just 7 overs. Suryavanshi, wearing the iconic No. 18 jersey, continued his excellent form from the IPL, where he scored 252 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, including a remarkable century off 35 balls. In this match, he hit three sixes in a single over and scored 48 runs off just 18 balls before being dismissed on the next delivery.
Mhatre, who also had a successful IPL season with CSK, picked up the pace after Suryavanshi's exit. He hit two boundaries in quick succession before falling while attempting a big shot. Despite losing both openers and Maulyarajsinh Chavda for 16 runs, vice-captain Abhigyan Kundu calmly guided the team to victory with an unbeaten 45 runs off 34 balls. India reached the target in just 24 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England's Struggles
England started their innings positively with Isaac Mohammed scoring 42 runs off 28 balls. However, once Enaan and Patel dismissed the key batsmen, the team quickly fell apart, going from 76/1 to 86/4. Flintoff was left to fend for himself as Chouhan took three consecutive wickets, helping to conclude England's innings in the 43rd over.
Following this ODI series, the two teams will face off in two Youth Test matches starting July 12.
