The Indian Under-19 team’s quest for an unprecedented fourth World Cup title ended in disaster on Sunday as the West Indies out-witted the side, coached by Rahul Dravid, by five wickets in a tense summit clash to clinch the coveted trophy for the first time since its inception at Mirpur in Bangladesh.
Put in to bat by the Caribbeans on a green-top amid overcast conditions, the script went completely awry for the Indians, who were dismissed for 145 in 45.1 overs with Sarfaraz Khan’s 89-ball 51 being the only noteworthy contribution.
In reply, the West Indies made heavy weather of the chase in a slow-moving but thrilling match to overhaul the score in 49.3 overs.
The heroes for West Indies were man of the match Keacy Carty (52 not out off 125 ball) and Keemo Paul (40 not out off 68 balls) both of whom kept their cool in the high-pressure game to take the side home.
Chasing the modest target, the Caribbeans were not off to the best of starts as both their openers - Gifron Pope (3) and Tevin Imlach (15) - were dismissed with just 28 runs on the board. Skipper Shimron Hetmyer (23) and Carty then put together a 39-run third-wicket stand to steady the rocking boat.
However, left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar gave India the much-needed breakthrough when he got Hetmyer caught at long on by Armaan Jaffer. Next man in was Shamar Springer (3), the West Indies’ most successful batsman of the tournament with 282 runs prior to the final. But the right-hander could not make an impact and struggled for nine deliveries before an attempted slog sweep had him caught by Jaffer, off Dagar again.
While wickets were tumbling around him, Carty kept his cool to plough on even though the scoring rate was painfully slow. The 69-run stand between Carty and Paul made all the difference in the end as the unbeaten Indians finally found their match in the summit clash.
The Indian fielders were also guilty of spilling a few good chances, which could have tilted the match in their team’s favour. Earlier, the Indian batsmen faltered when it mattered the most as the three-time champions were bowled out for 145. The same batsmen, who helped India stay unbeaten earlier in the competition, failed to apply themselves in the big game.
Sarfaraz was the lone exception as he saved India the embarrassment of being bowled out for a sub-100 total with a fifth fifty plus score in six innings, also making him only one to score most half centuries (7) in the history of the tournament. Chemar Holder kept things tight to maintain pressure on the Indian batsmen. There are lessons to be learnt for Indian boys. For the West Indies colts, it is time to take back home a lot of joy. For both, this tournament was a firm, bold step towards growing into mature men.
