India will compete with England in the final of the Under-19 World Cup after a record-breaking chase against Afghanistan in Harare. The five-time winners gunned down an Under-19 World Cup record target of 311 for the loss of just three wickets and with more than eight overs to spare in a blistering display.
Aaron George hit a sterling 115 after 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the talk of the town, smoked a scintillating 68 off just 33 balls after being handed a couple of reprieves. Captain Ayush Mhatre added a half-century of his own as India pranced into their 10th final against an England side looking for their first taste of glory in the competition since 1998.
“Our discussion was simple – just play our natural game,” said Mhatre. “The wicket was playing beautifully, a real flat wicket, so we knew if we played naturally, it would be a manageable total.
“Suryavanshi played a major role in the chase. Scoring 90 runs in the first 10 overs released all the pressure, making it much easier for the rest of us to build the innings.
“George is a classy, fabulous batsman. He anchored the innings perfectly.”
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 310/4 in 50 overs (Faisal Shinozada 110, Uzairullah Niazai 101; Kanishk Chouhan 2-55) lost to India (Aaron George 115, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 68, Ayush Mhatre 62) by 7 wickets.
