India crush Australia to make U-19 World Cup semis

Potchefstroom: Kartik Tyagi blew away Australia’s top-order with a sensational spell of fast bowling to power India to a 74-run victory and a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Portchefstroom on Tuesday.

Kartik bagged four wickets after India recovered through Atharva Ankolekar's combative half-century to post 233 for 9, a modest total which the holders defended impressively.

Riding on Kartik's spell in which he swung the ball at a good speed, India bundled out Australia for 159 with 6.3 overs to spare in their Super League quarter-final.

Invited to bat, India lacked a substantial partnership until Atharva and Ravi Bishnoi joined forces to raise a fighting 61-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Atharva scored an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls, inclusive of five fours and a six, while Bishnoi made 30 off 341 balls.

Tyagi (4/24) then produced a dream spell in which he removed Australia’s skipper Mackenzie Harvey (4) and Lachlan Hearne (0) off successive balls in his very first over.

This was after Jake Fraser-McGurk had run himself out off the first ball of their innings. He did not get a hat-trick but added the scalps of Oliver Davies (2) and Patrick Rowe (21) to take the life out of the Australian chase.

India's modest total would have given the Australians hope but it became a herculean task after their top order was polished off.

Earlier, at the top, only opener Yashaswi Jaiswal put up a semblance of resistance against the Australian attack, scoring an 82-ball 62, with the help of six fours and two sixes. Divyaansh Saxena (14), Tilak Varma (2), Priyan Garg (5) and Dhruv Juel (15) all struggled.

Brief scores: India 233 in 50 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 62, Atharva Ankolekar 55; Todd Murphy 2/40) vs Australia 159 (Sam Fanning 75, Liam Scott 35; Kartik Tyagi 4/24). Agencies

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