Five-time champions India have stormed into the Super Six stage of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup with an unblemished record, setting up challenging encounters with Zimbabwe and Pakistan after a clinical victory over New Zealand.
Indian captain Ayush Mhatre believes his squad is improving with each performance and is confident in their ability to vie for the title, citing the team’s maturity and adaptability, according to a report by International Cricket Council today.
The formidable side maintained their perfect run with a commanding seven-wicket triumph over the Kiwis in a rain-interrupted contest on Saturday, ensuring they carried maximum points into the next phase of the tournament.
“The whole tournament has been really nice and the boys have really played well and shown the character that shows strong attitude also,” Mhatre said.
He credited his players for adhering to their strategy despite the weather delays against New Zealand. “The boys are really mature enough to adapt to the (different) situations and they have played more cricket like this. They are mature enough to take the situation and just back their basics.”
The team’s morale is further bolstered by the captain”s own return to form. Mhatre anchored the chase with a top score of 53, following an excellent start provided by opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who contributed 40 runs in their successful pursuit of 130 for victory.
This was Mhatre’s first innings of note in the tournament, after previous scores of 19 and six against the USA and Bangladesh. The right-hander attributed his success to a recent change in his batting philosophy.
“Just watch the ball closely and just play as a merit of the ball,” Mhatre admitted. “That was simple plan.” India are scheduled to face Zimbabwe on January 27 and rivals Pakistan on February 1 in the Super Six stage.