IN-U19 vs BD-U19 prediction: Who will win today's U19 Asia Cup 2021 match?
India U19 and Bangladesh U19 are set to lock horns in the second semi-final of the U19 Asia Cup 2021 on Thursday, December 30 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
India U19, led by Yash Dhull, haven’t had an overly impressive campaign thus far in the tournament. They started with a resounding 154-run victory over the hosts United Arab Emirates. However, they lost to Pakistan by two wickets and found themselves in danger of getting knocked out.
India U19 defeated Afghanistan U19 by four wickets on Monday, December 27 and progressed to the semis. After electing to field first, the Indian bowlers had to fight hard as the Afghans scored 259 for four. Suliman Saha scored 73 off 86 with seven fours and one massive six.
It was Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai’s unbeaten 68-ball 86 that propelled Afghanistan past the 250-run mark. Khaiber Wali, batting at No. 6, played a handy 20-run cameo in the death overs. Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Raj Bawa, Vicky Oswal and Kaushal Tambe got two wickets apiece.
In the run-chase, Harnoor Singh scored 65 off 74 and made sure that India got past the finishing line. Raj Bawa also churned out a handy knock of 43. Noor Ahmad picked up two wickets for Afghanistan.
Bangladesh U19, on the other hand, finished Group B at the top of the table with five points and a net run rate of 5.880. Their last league game against Sri Lanka U19 was called off due to COVID-19 concerns. They will be going into the game after beating Kuwait U19 by 222 runs.
Mahfijul Islam’s 112 led the charge for the Junior Tigers, who racked up 291 on the board. SM Mehrob also made 42 runs off 24 balls with the help of five fours and one six. Aich Mollah, Ariful Islam and Tahjibul Islam also scored in the 20s.
Thereafter, Bangladesh bowled Kuwait out for 69 in 25.3 overs. Ripon Mondal picked up three wickets and conceded only 10 runs in eight overs. Mehrob and skipper Rakibul Hasan picked up two wickets apiece.
Can Bangladesh U19 beat India U19?
Bangladesh have been clinical in the tournament and are yet to lose a single game. India, on the other hand, went down against Pakistan. It’s a rematch of the 2020 U19 World Cup final where Bangladesh won.
Prediction: The team batting second will win this game