Suryavanshi, Mhatre give India U19 unassailable 2-0 lead over Australia in Youth ODI series

Brisbane, Sep 24 (PTI) Vaibhav Suryavanshi made a breezy fifty and skipper Ayush Mhatre grabbed three wickets with his part-time off-spin as India U19 defeated Australia U19 by 51 runs in the second Youth ODI here on Wednesday.

The victory helped India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and the final game will be played on Friday at the Ian Healy Oval here.

Middle-order batter Jayden Draper made a 72-ball 102 for the Aussies but they could only manage 249 all out in 47.2 overs, chasing the strong target of 301 that India set.

Suryavanshi (70 off 68 balls) laid the foundation for India’s charge after his fellow opener Mhatre fell for a two-ball duck.

The teen batting sensation and Vihaan Malhotra (70, 74b) added 117 runs for the second wicket to bring India back on track but the dismissal of Suryavanshi robbed India of the momentum.

Wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu (71, 64b) kept the board ticking with small yet critical partnerships with late-order batters as India made 300 before getting all out in 49.4 overs.

Australia’s chase looked in good shape once they reached 63 for 1 in 18.5 overs. But off-spinner Kanishk Chouhan dismissed Steve Hogan to trigger a mini collapse.

The home side lost two more wickets at the score of 63 — Alex Turner and Yash Deshmukh — to slip to 63 for four.

It soon became 109 for six as the Aussies stared at a rout. But Draper and Aryan Sharma (38) added 112 runs for the seventh wicket to keep the fight on for Australia.

However, Mhatre stepped in at this juncture to bag the wickets of Draper and Aryan in quick succession to snuff out Australia’s hopes.

Brief scores: India U19: 300 all out in 49.4 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 70, Vihan Malhotra 70, Abhigyan Kundu 71; Will Bryom 3/71, Yash Deshmukh 2/31) beat Australia U19: 249 all out in 47.2 overs (Jayden Draper 102, Aryan Sharma 38; Ayush Mhatre 3/27). PTI UNG BS BS