Christchurch: A superb all-round show powered India to the finals of the ongoing ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup after the boys in blue thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs in the semi-finals here on Tuesday.The Rahul Dravid-coached boys will now take on Australia in the summit clash.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, the Prithvi Shaw-led Indian side started on a decent note and went on to put a challenging 273 run target before the opponents, thanks to a sparkling ton by Shubham Gill (102) and a 41,47-run contribution by openers Shaw and Manjot Kalra.
Chasing the target, Pakistan succumbed before an aggressive Indian bowling attack and gave up at a paltry 68 runs in just 29.3 overs.Ishan Porel was the wrecker-in-chief for India after an impressive figure of 4/17.India will now face three-time champions Australia in the summit clash on Saturday.
Brief Scores:
India 272 for 9 (Gill 102*, Kalra 47, Shaw 41, Musa 4-67) beat Pakistan 69 (Nazir 18, Porel 4-17) by 203 runs.(UNI)