U19 World Cup: India Defeats Bangladesh By 84 Runs As Saumy And Musheer flourish

Although 251 for seven may not seem like a significant score, the two Indian spinners choked off the run flow, dismissing the 'Tiger Cubs' for a pitiful 167 in 45.5 overs.

In their opening match of the ICC U-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein on Saturday, the reigning champions of India defeated Bangladesh by 84 runs thanks to a commanding performance from left-arm spinners Saumy Kumar Pandey and Musheer Khan.

Bangladesh invited the holders to take the first stroke, and captain Uday Saharan (64 off 94 balls) and left-handed opener Adarsh Singh (76 off 96 balls) scored half-centuries.

India U19 vs Bangladesh U19 full highlights

All-rounder Musheer (2/35) tossed it up and got enough drift to tighten the noose around Bangladeshi hitters, while Saumy (4/24) was economical and bowled the deadly arm ball with a skiddy action.

Musheer, the younger brother of domestic superstar Sarfaraz Khan from Mumbai, was a dynamic force on the pitch. He executed a run-out as well.

It was impressive that Saumy and Musheer continued to work like devoted professionals without displaying any overt signs of excitement.

Players from both teams teased during the match, which was ill-tempered given the history of friction between the two groups at the senior men's, older women's, and U-19 levels.

It was a delicious retaliation for the Indian squad, who had lost to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup semifinal.

The target was never below par despite the Indian batters' struggles to get boundaries. At this stadium, teams batting first in Youth ODIs (U-19 ODI) averaged 201, with 243 being the highest successful chase.

India's tally of 251/7 on the day was the third-highest at this particular ground.

During the last overs, Sachin Dhas, the team's designated finisher, displayed excellent technique and calm with a lovely little undefeated cameo of 26 off 20 balls that carried the score past the 250-run barrier. The sight of seamen Rohanat Doullah Borson dragging six off was breathtaking.

This is the case even though they gave Bangladeshi bowlers 26 overs' worth of dot balls to bowl during their innings.

Maruf Mridha (5/43), a left-arm seamer, caused havoc early in the innings and during the slog overs by bowling in the correct places. Still, he was slightly irritated with his captain for incorrectly calculating and preventing him from finishing his allotted ten overs.

Maruf, who bowled closer to stumps in the beginning and mixed cutters and wide yorkers at the end to make life difficult for the India colts, had a skillful motion similar to Mustafizur Rahaman's.

Adarsh (76 off 96 balls) and captain Saharan (64 off 94 balls) set the groundwork for the Indian innings, adding 116 runs for the third wicket in around 23.5 overs.

The two young players of Bangladesh, left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahaman Rabby (1/41) and off-spinner Sheikh Paevez Jibon (0/39), didn't seem at ease against them.

With Adarsh hitting six fours and Saharan hitting just four, the two spinners ensured the set hitters couldn't escape. Even though Indian hitters only managed two sixes and 14 boundaries in 50 overs, it was still plenty in the end.