Bangladesh U19 Faces Defeat Against India in Rain-Affected Thriller

Could this match and loss really happen? For Bangladesh, anything seems possible. From a promising 124/3, the scoreboard tumbled to 146/10 in moments. Under the relentless bowling of Vihaan Malhotra, Bangladesh U19 saw defeat in their opening match of the ICC U19 World Cup against India.
India began their U19 World Cup campaign with a win. In a rain-interrupted match, Bangladesh U19 lost to India by 18 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. The Group B encounter took place on Saturday at the Queens Sports Club, where Bangladesh’s youngsters ultimately could not withstand the pressure.
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first. India lost their captain Ayush Mhatre and Vedant Trivedi cheaply at the start, putting them under early pressure. However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi responded aggressively, stabilizing the innings with a brilliant 72 off 67 balls, including six boundaries and three sixes.
After Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu anchored the middle order with a responsible 80 off 112 balls. Valuable contributions from Kanishk Chouhan helped India post a total of 238 all out in 48.4 overs.
Rain interruptions led to a revised target of 165 in 29 overs for Bangladesh. However, the chase began poorly as opener Zawad Abrar fell early, putting the Tiger Cubs under pressure. Captain Azizul Hakim fought valiantly with a patient 51 off 72 balls, while Rifat Beg added 37, but the mounting required run rate proved too difficult to handle.
The match turned decisively in India’s favour through Vihaan Malhotra. The young spinner produced a brilliant spell, taking 4 wickets for just 14 runs, dismantling Bangladesh’s middle and lower order. Bangladesh ultimately collapsed for 146 in 28.3 overs, handing India the victory in their U19 World Cup opener.