MUMBAI: A scintillating 231-run partnership between opener Shubman Gill (160, 120b, 23x4, 1x6) and young Mumbai sensation Prithvi Shaw (105, 89b, 12x4, 2x6) set up India Under-19’s record 230-run victory in the fourth Youth ODI against England Under-19 and sealed the series for the home team.
Riding on the second-wicket partnership of the promising batsmen, India U-19 piled up a gargantuan total of 382 for nine at the Wankhede Stadium, the second-highest total by India’s youth team. Gill’s 160 was also the joint-second-highest individual score by an India U-19 batsman.
In reply, the England U-19 batting crumbled, bundled out for 152 in just 37.4 overs to hand India U-19 its second-highest victory in terms of margin of victory. The pace triumvirate of Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Vivekanand Tiwari shared nine England wickets.
Gill and Shaw were in sublime touch with the bat. The fact that England bowlers had their worst day of the tour made it all the more easier for the on-song batsmen to score at will. While Gill registered his second successive hundred of the series, Shaw — rested for the last game after garnering 21 runs in the first two matches — found his rhythm from the word go.
It was heartening to see that Shaw, who was scoring at a quicker rate in the Powerplay overs, focussed on strike rotation in the middle overs, letting Gill open up his shoulders against a haphazard England bowling attack. The India colts did lose six wickets for 30 runs in the last 25 balls but the damage had been well and truly done by then.
The scores:
India U-19 382 for nine in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 160, Prithvi Shaw 105, Himanshu Rana 33, Henry Brookes two for 58, Delray Rawlins two for 78, Arthur Godsal two for 78) bt England U-19 152 in 37.4 overs (Ollie Pope 59, Will Jacks 44, Kamlesh Nagarkoti four for 31, Vivekanand Tiwary three for 20, Shivam Mavi two for 18).
