Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar bowled India to a 44-run win against New Zealand in the ICC Under-19 World Cup here on Friday. India will meet Australia in the Super League quarterfinal at Potchfestroom on January 28.
In the rain-hit final Group A match, reduced to 23-overs-per-side, India scored 115 for no loss in 23 overs with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (57 not out off 72 balls) and Divyansh Saxena (52 no off 62 balls) in good nick.
New Zealand needed 193 as per the DLS method calculations, but managed only 147 in 21 overs as India emerged group topper with six points.
Ankolekar, who played through pain with a fractured finger on his right hand, had figures of three for 28 in five overs. Bishnoi bowled googlies, sliders and top-spinners to end with four for 30 from five overs.
Put in to bat, both Yashasvi and Divyansh were watchful but didn’t let the loose deliveries go unpunished. Yashasvi again held anchor, hitting four boundaries and two sixes in his knock.
Divyansh was more aggressive as he slammed six boundaries in his half-century. Just when they had completed a century stand, the heavens opened up.
The scores: India 115/0 in 23 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal (57 n.o., Divyansh Saxena 52 n.o.) bt New Zealand 147 in 27 overs (Atharva Ankolekar 3/28, Ravi Bishnoi 4/30). India won by 44 runs via DLS method.
