Boosted by the return of key players, including captain Yash Dhull and vice-captain S.K. Rasheed, a rejuvenated India will take on defending champions Bangladesh in the fourth quarter-final of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Saturday.
The six India players who had tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of their league game against Ireland have now recovered. They reached Antigua from Trinidad on Friday and joined the training session straight away. However, Nishant Sindhu, who led in the absence of Dhull and Rasheed, has been tested positive and will be unavailable for selection for the quarter-final. A like-for-like option like Aneeshwar Gautam may replace him.
The game will be played at same venue where Afghanistan defended 134 against Sri Lanka the other day. Batters are likely to be tested yet again. Hence, India, who are undefeated in the tournament, will bank on in-form opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi and all-rounder Raj Bawa along with Dhull and Rasheed. Harnoor Singh, the other opener, was Player of the Tournament in the recently concluded Asia Cup, but is yet to find his touch here.
With seven wickets, left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal has been the stand out bowler in the tournament. The Bangladesh batters may also find it difficult to negotiating the extra pace of Rajvardhan Hangargekar on that tricky surface.
The game will be a rematch of the previous edition's final in 2020 when Bangladesh had stunned the favourites to win their maiden title. Current Bangladesh skipper Rakibul Hasan was part of that winning squad.
In the recently held Asia Cup semi-final at Sharjah, India thrashed Bangladesh by 103 runs. The Indian bowlers – Hangargekar, Ravi Kumar, Bawa, Vicky Ostwal – did the bulk of the damage.
Bangladesh's entry into the knockouts has not as smooth as India's. England outplayed them in the first game before they qualified with wins over Canada and UAE.
Likely XIs
India Under 19s: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harnoor Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Yash Dhull (c), Dinesh Bana (wk), Raj Bawa, Kaushal Tambe, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Aneeshwar Gautam, Vicky Ostwal, Ravi Kumar
Bangladesh U19s: Mahfijul Islam, Iftakher Hossain Ifti, Prantik Nawrose Nabil, Aich Mollah, Md Fahim (wk), Ariful Islam, SM Meherob, Ashiqur Zaman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan (c), Ripon Mondol
Fantasy tips
- Harnoor is due for big score and expect him to stand up in this important game.
- Pick Indian pacers like Hangargekar and Ravi Kumar in your XI.
- From the Bangladesh squad, you may pick Mahfijul and Mondol in your fantasy squad.