Lagatar24 Desk
Antigua, Jan 28: India will face Bangladesh in the third quarterfinal of the U-19 Cricket World Cup in Osbourn, Antigua on Saturday. The record four-time champions (India) will be buoyed by the return of important players.
The majority of India’s half-dozen players who were infected with the deadly covid virus have recovered and are expected to play in the vital match. Six players, including skipper Yash Dhull, were placed in isolation ahead of India’s second league match against Ireland, handing the record four-time winners a major setback.
Five of them proved positive in the RTPCR tests, and as a result, they were unable to participate in the final league game against Uganda. However, India’s depth in the team ensured that they won both games convincingly and qualified as group winners for the quarterfinals.
In Dhull’s absence, Nishant Sindhu led the side as India struggled to field 11 fit players in the game against Ireland.
“Most of the players have recovered and should be fit enough to play tomorrow,” said a BCCI official.
Before the Ireland game, skipper Dhull, his deputy Shaik Rasheed, Sidharth Yadav, Aaradhya Yadav, and Manav Parakh all got positive RTPCR tests.
Both Dhull and Rasheed are vital batsmen for the team, and they looked sharp in their tournament opener against South Africa. After scoring match-winning tonnes against Uganda, opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi and all-rounder Raj Bawa’s confidence must be sky high.
Vicky Ostwal, a left-arm spinner, has been India’s standout bowler in the event, taking seven wickets. Sindhu, another left-arm spinner, has been in fine form with the ball, taking four wickets at 2.76 runs per over.
The added pace of Rajvardhan Hangargekar would be difficult for the Bangladesh hitters to deal with. The match will be a rematch of the final from the previous edition in 2020, when Bangladesh shocked the favourites to capture their first title. Rakibul Hasan, the current Bangladesh captain, was a part of that historic final.
India defeated Bangladesh in the Asia Cup semifinals in the United Arab Emirates and went on to win the tournament. Bangladesh’s path to the knockout stages was not as straightforward as India’s. England outplayed them in the first encounter before qualifying with victories against Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Squads
India: Yash Dhull (c), Harnoor Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Siddarth Yadav, Aneeshwar Gautam, Manav Parakh, Kaushal Tambe, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Vicky Ostwal, Garv Sangwan, Dinesh Bana, Aaradhya Yadav, Raj Bawa, Vasu Vats, Ravi Kumar.
Bangladesh: Rakibul Hasan (c), Abdullah Al Mamun, Ariful Islam, Md Fahim, Mahfijul Islam, Ripon Mondol, Naimur Rohman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Prantik Nawrose Nabil, Aich Mollah, Ashiqur Zaman, Iftakher Hossain Ifti, SM Meherob, Musfik Hasan, Tahjibul Islam.
