The India U19 team faced an embarrassing 8-wicket loss against arch-viral Pakistan in group A of the U19 Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday.
Azan Awais 105 (130) and Shahzaib Khan 63 (88) drove their team to an easy victory over India and captured the top place of the Group A points table with two successive wins in this tournament.
Pakistan won the toss and invited the Indian team to bat first. Opening batsman Adarsh Singh’s 62 (81), skipper Uday Shahran’s 60 (98), and Sachin Dhas’s quick 58 in death overs helped India score a fighting total of 259 runs in 50 overs. Fast bowler Md. Zeeshan (4/46) was the leading wicket-taker for the Pakistan team in this match.
In response, the Pakistan team chases down the 260-run target by losing just two wickets. This defeat for India became the topic of serious conversation among people. So, in this article, we will clarify the major mistakes that cost the Indian team an important match.
1. Poor fielding by Indian players
‘Catches win matches’, is the golden rule that is the underrated secret for successful teams. It seems young Indians didn’t focus on this department against Pakistan.
Fielders, especially Naman Tiwari, are looking lethargic and have failed to cover half-chances.
2. Irresponsible Batting
Despite Adarsh and captain Uday, the whole batting lineup didn’t support them and lost wickets at definite intervals.
Last match hero Arshin Kulkarni (24) could not repeat his remarkable performance in this game and threw his wicket after an excellent start. Sachin Dhas smashed a few boundaries in the end, but his efforts went in vain.
3. Unplanned bowling changes
Murugan Abhishek (2 wickets) was the only Indian bowler who challenged Pakistan’s batting order.
Other bowlers like Naman Tiwari, Saumy Pandey, and Arshin Kulkarni didn’t bowl in the right line and length, which couldn’t put pressure on Azan and Shahzaib.
Conclusion
These are the major mistakes that led India to a crushing defeat. India is currently in 2nd place with one victory and the same losses. If the Blues want to participate in the next round of the Asia Cup 2023, then they have to play a ‘do or die’ game against Nepal on Tuesday.
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