U-19 World Cup 2020: Favourites India face Australia in QF clash

Match preview
What can tomorrow tell us? Tomorrow can tell us the ‘team to beat’ in the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup. India and Australia will lock horns for a place in world cup semifinal. India are clear favourites going into the game at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom after winning all three group games convincingly. The championship will look easy for the team that makes hay under the South African sun tomorrow.

Team India looks pretty strong overall and even before the start of the tournament, their domination was only a matter of time. Each member of Indian squad has either played first-class or list-A cricket if that tells you something about India’s U19 structure after Rahul Dravid era.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena looked promising every Innings this world cup along with captain Priyam Garg. Only potential thing Australia can exploit might be that Indian middle order is mostly untested this competition. The game against Japan was hardly competitive and New Zealand game was rain-shortened.

In bowling, the pace of Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh can even rattle some of the international lineups. And Ravi Bishnoi has all the makings of a champion International cricketer for the long term. His googlies are deceptive and pace variations are canny. Mumbai left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar has also played his part brilliantly.

On the other hand, Australia wouldn’t mind being called ‘Underdogs’ this time around. After facing defeat in the first game against West Indies, they have pulled off the heist against traditional rivals England to set up this clash. Jake Fraser-McGurk is exciting at top of the order and captain Mackenzie Harvey played a solid hand against England. There are also some noises in the Australian domestic circuit about Lachlan Hearne. Sully and Murphy are two all-round cricketers and can deliver in extremes of pressure as we already witnessed last week.

Key phase of the game
Middle overs: India and Australia both have their best bowler in a leg spinner. Ravi Bishnoi and Tanveer Sangha are also two best bowlers in the competition so far. The team that plays the opposition trump card well will gain the initial advantage over the other.

Interesting stats
• India and Australia are two of the most successful teams at ICC U19 world cups with 4 and 3 titles respectively.
• India is one of the only two teams to make it into the top 8 of every single U19 world cup, other team being Pakistan.

Fan Buzz
Loyal cricket fans who follow each and every delivery of the game are already in the mood for the quarter-finals. They are expecting big things from the next generations of cricketers.

SF1: IND v AFG.
SF2: WI v SA.

Final: IND v WI.

Winner: IND.#U19CWC

— Charlie Joe (@CharlieJoe4) January 25, 2020

That was an extraordinary game of cricket in Kimberley. Australia chased 40 from last three overs to qualify for the Super League stage. England out of SL stage. It is also first time Australia have chased 250plus in U19 World Cup. Connor Sully the hero! #FutureStars #U19CWC

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) January 23, 2020

Quarter-final in #U19CWC

Jan 28 – India vs Australia
Jan 29 – West Indies vs New Zealand
Jan 30 – Bangladesh vs South Africa
Jan 31 – Pakistan vs Afghanistan

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 25, 2020