Deja vu! Here we are, almost three months after that ODI World Cup 2023 Final, but things aren’t much different. A strong and undefeated India is going into the final as heavy favorites, while the Aussies are entering as underdogs. The format and teams might be the same, but the venues and the pedigrees of the players are different.
On one side, we have legends of the games going at it in Ahmedabad, while the other has potential future stars going toe-to-toe in Benoni. The IND vs AUS U19 Final is set to be a cracker of a match, with both teams coming from behind and winning their semifinals in the U19 World Cup.
IND vs AUS U19 Final: India ahead on paper
One would be lying if they said that India U19 is not the superior side coming into the final. Although both teams have come into the final undefeated, Australia has played one tough game and has had one match rained off.
Apart from the semifinals, both teams have won big and easily. However, that semifinal holds immense value. Both the Men in Blue and the Kangaroos completed a comeback win in the face of defeat. While Uday Saharan’s men chased down 245 despite being 32/4, the Aussies won a low-score thriller by just 1 wicket.
Whether it be the highest run scorer (Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan, and Sachin Dhas) or the highest wicket-taker (Saumy Pandey), the India U19 team is ahead of their opponents.
Strengths and weaknesses
Before the second match, India had just one weakness: chasing. They hadn’t chased once in their first five matches, but after a stunning comeback win while chasing against South Africa, even that was checked off. The only thing that can hinder their success in the U19 World Cup Final is their three main bowlers not picking up wickets in the powerplay.
Australia U19 has struggled slightly with both the bat and ball. Apart from Tom Stalker and Callum Vidler, none of their bowlers are even in the top 25 wicket-takers in the tournament.
Similarly, apart from their top order of Harry Dixon, Hugh Weibgen, and Sam Konstas, none of their batters have impressed. If their top order collapses, they might have a tough time chasing. This was evident in the semifinal when they struggled to chase 180 even when they were 43/2.
IND vs AUS U19 Final: Squads
IND U19: Arshin Kulkarni, Adarsh Singh, Rudra Mayur Patel, Sachin Dhas, Priyanshu Moliya, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan (c), Aravelly Avanish Rao (wk), Saumy Kumar Pandey, Murugan Abhishek, Innesh Mahajan, Dhanush Gowda, Aaradhya Shukla, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari.
Australia U19: Harjas Singh, Harry Dixon, Hugh Weibgen (c), Ollie Peake, Sam Konstas, Aidan O’ Connor, Tom Campbell, Lachlan Aitken (WK), Ryan Hicks (wk), Callum Vidler, Charlie Anderson, Harkirat Bajwa, Mahli Beardman, Rafael Macmillan, Tom Straker.
