IND Vs AUS Final, ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup: Road To Final For India And Australia

India and Australia will fight for the summit clash of the ICC Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2024 on Sunday in Benoni, South Africa. Both the teams have been unbeaten so far in the tournament and now they are just one step away from being the world champions of the highly coveted multi-nation youth tournament. (Streaming | More Cricket News)

The final on Sunday will mark the defending champions India U-19 team's fifth successive final in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup. India U-19 team hold the record for winning the title for the most number of times (5). Now, the skipper Uday Saharan has the golden chance to join the elite club of Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull by winning the trophy on Sunday.

However, their opponents, Australia are also a strong side. They have shown continuous growth in their batting and bowling. Their fielding has also been top-notch throughout the tournament. Captain Hugh Weibgen's side would need something extraordinary from their players to beat the high-quality Indian team in the final. Harry Dixon, Sam Konstas and Oliver Peake have been brilliant with the bat and Tom Straker has also led the bowling unit perfectly.

Both teams have players who could play an impactful role in the team and single-handedly win the match. The tournament so far has been a perfect road with no speed-breakers for both teams. They won all of their group-stage and Super Six matches easily. Let's take a look back at their road to the final journey:

Road To Final For India:

- Group A, Match 1, v Bangladesh in Bloemfontein

India started their campaign with a thumping victory of 84 runs against Asai Cup U-19 winners Bangladesh. Maruf Mridha's lethal bowling and send-off troubled India but Saumy Pandey's spin web left the Bangla batters guessing. Opener batter Adarsh Singh (76) and captain Uday Saharan (64) played crucial innings.

- Group A, Match 2, v Ireland in Bloemfontein

India thrashed Ireland by 201 runs in Bloemfontein. Musheer Khan was the star with bat as the right-handed batter slammed the first ton of the tournament with nine fours and four sixes. Left-arm pacer Naman Tiwari took a four-wicket haul and Saumy Pandey grabbed three wickets to restrict the opponents early and won the game by 201 runs.

- Group A, Match 3, v USA in Bloemfontein

In their next encounter, India beat the United States Of America by 201 runs identical to their last victory against Ireland. Arshin Kulkarni made 108 runs and Musheer Khan's 73 also helped India post a 300-plus total which proved more than enough for the USA batters.

- Super Six (Group 1), Match 1, v New Zealand in Bloemfontein

India played New Zealand in their first Super Six match and registered another 200-plus run victory after batting first. Musheer Khan hit his second century of the tournament and set a 296-run target for the Kiwis. Saumy Pandey took his yet another four-wicket haul and played an important role in restricting New Zealand to 81 all out.

- Super Six (Group 1), Match 2, v Nepal in Bloemfontein

India and Nepal clashed in the second Super Six match and India batted first after winning the toss. Captain Uday Saharan and stylish bater Sachin Dhas played centurion knocks to put up 297 runs on board. India's vice-captain Saumy Pandey took yet another four-wicket haul to help India win by 132 runs.

- Semi-final 1, v South Africa in Benoni

With these wins, India reached the semifinals and met the hosts South Africa in their latest encounter in Benoni. Sharan won the toss and decided to field first for the first time in the tournament. Lhuan-dre Pretorius (76) and Richard Seletswane (64) stood out with the bat as the Proteas set a 245-run target for India U-19. At one point, India were hanging at 32/4 but Sachin Dhas and captain Uday Saharan played crucial knocks to take India out of danger. Raj Limbani hit the winning runs to take India to their fifth successive final.

Road To Final For Australia U-19:

- Group C, Match 1, v Namibia in Kimberley

Australia started their campaign against minnows Namibia and won the match comfortably with four wickets. Callum Vidler and Tom Straker bundled out Namibia for 91 but Australia also had a horror start and lost five wickets within 57 runs. Captain Hugh Weibgen settled the innings as Australia crossed the line in the 20th over.

- Group C, Match 2, v Zimbabwe in Kimberley

They met Zimbabwe next in Kimberley and thrashed them by 225 runs. Harry Dixon, Sam Konstas and the captain himself played crucial knocks but it was Callum Vidler and Harkirat Bajwa's four-wicket hauls which helped them register a big win.

- Group C, Match 3, v Sri Lanka in Kimberley

Australia faced Sri Lanka in their next group-stage match and defeated them by six wickets in Kimberley. Chasing a mere target of 209 runs set by Sri Lanka, Australia stumbled but Ryan Hicks take them through the winning line easily.

- Super Six (Group 2), Match 1, v England in Kimberley

In the first Super Six match, Australia faced their old enemy England. Australia batted first and captain Hugh Weibgen slammed the first Australian century which helped them set a 267-run target for England. The Aussie pacers Tom Straker, Callum Vidler and Raf Macmillan shared nine wickets among them and bundled them out in 16.5 overs.

- Super Six (Group 2), Match 2, v West Indies in Kimberley

The next match against West Indies was washed out after Australia batted first and Sam Konstas played a 108-run knock to post a 200-plus target for West Indies. The Caribbeans were at 24/2 when rain interrupted the game and the match was called off. Australia finished in first position and a semifinal match against Pakistan was set for them.

- Semi-final 2, v Pakistan in Benoni

The semi-final clash between Australia and Pakistan was a game of ups and downs. Pakistan batted first and made 179 runs all out with the help of Azan Awais and Arafat Minhas's fifties. Australia started well but Ali Raza took four wickets to make the match interesting. Raf Macmillan and Callum Vidler added 16 runs for the last wicket and won the game by one wicket for Australia. Australia will now meet India in the final on Sunday.