IND Vs AUS, ICC U-19 WC Final: India Go Down Fighting As Australia Claim Title For Fourth Time - As It Happened

Welcome to the highlights of the final of the ICC Men's U-19 Cricket World Cup final updates between India and Australia. This was the third meeting between these two great teams in the final of the U-19 World Cup. The Boys in Blue had won on both previous occasions but India were defeated on Sunday in Benoni. Australia won the final match by 79 runs with a comprehensive effort. With this win, Australia became the U-19 World Cup champions for the fourth time.

India U19 Squad: Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan(c), Priyanshu Moliya, Sachin Dhas, Aravelly Avanish(w), Murugan Abhishek, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari, Saumy Pandey, Aaradhya Shukla, Ansh Gosai, Dhanush Gowda, Rudra Patel, Prem Devkar, Mohamed Amaan, Innesh Mahajan

Australia U19 Squad: Harry Dixon, Sam Konstas, Hugh Weibgen(c), Harjas Singh, Ryan Hicks(w), Oliver Peake, Tom Campbell, Raf MacMilllan, Tom Straker, Mahli Beardman, Callum Vidler, Lachlan Aitken, Charlie Anderson, Harkirat Bajwa, Corey Wasley, Aidan O Connor

- India have won the title six times in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022.

- Australia have won the title three times in 1998, 2002 and 2010.

India should watch out for the following Aussie players in the U-19 Cricket World Cup final - skipper Hugh Weibgen, opener Harry Dixon, seamers Tom Straker and Callum Vidler.

Uday Saharan has been his superlative best in this tournament, but apart from him, the likes of Saumy Pandey, Musheer Khan, Naman Tiwari, Raj Limbani and the semi-finalist hero, Sachin Dhas.

Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first despite overcast conditions.

India U19 (Playing XI): Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan(c), Priyanshu Moliya, Sachin Dhas, Aravelly Avanish(w), Murugan Abhishek, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari, Saumy Pandey.

Australia U19 (Playing XI): Harry Dixon, Sam Konstas, Hugh Weibgen(c), Harjas Singh, Ryan Hicks(w), Oliver Peake, Raf MacMilllan, Charlie Anderson, Tom Straker, Mahli Beardman, Callum Vidler.

Indian pacer Limbani started off with decent pace and length as Aussie openers survived some close calls.

After a pasting in the Naman Tiwari over, Raj Limbai strikes with the wicket of Sam Konstas for 0. Australia lose their first wicket in the third over.

After an early setback in Konstas (0), skipper Hugh Weibgen and Harry Dixon have negated the swing and seam movement of the Indian bowling attack.

Aussies have added 45 runs in the first 10 overs of the game despite the wicket of Sam Konstas. Hugh Weibgen and Harry Dixon have added 29-runs for the second wicket as they look to motor along.

AUS - 45/1 (10 Overs)

Harry Dixon, Hugh Weibegn have brought calmness to the Aussie batting and also the fifty-run partnership. Huge moment given the conditions and pitch.

At the end of 20 overs, Harry Dixon and Hugh Weibegn have stitched 71-run stand for the second wicket. Dixon is batting on 32 and Weibgen on 48.

AUS - 87/1 (20 Overs)

Naman Tiwari brought back India into the game with two quick wickets of set-batters Harry Dixon and Hugh Weibgen. Dixon was out for 42 whereas the Aussie skipper was sent back for 48.

AUS - 136/3 (30 Overs)

Indian bowling attack led by Raj Limbani have been lethal with their line and lengths. Some quick wickets in the middle-overs stalled the run rate for the Aussies.

AUS - 223/7 (46 Overs)

Raj Limbani secured three wickets as Australia ended their innings with 253/7 in 50 overs. Oliver Peake scored handy 46 runs in the final ten overs as they scored 66 off the last 10 overs India could not curtail the Aussie batting. For the Boys in Yellow, Harjas Singh was their top-scorer with 55 runs.

Arshin Kulkarni and Adarsh Singh are at the crease as they start the run-chase of 254.

India lost Arshin Kulkarni early on in the innings for 3 as Callum Vidler scalped the young batter. However, Adarsh Singh and Musheer Khan kept the innings ticking away with singles and twos. Vidler kept things tight as India scored only 28 runs in the first ten overs.

IND - 28/1 (10 Overs), AUS - 253/7 (50 Overs)

The uneven bounce got the wicket of promising batter Musheer Khan. Mahli Beardman's delivery remained low and Khan was expecting something uppish. He missed the line and the ball went into the stumps. Uday Saharan is the new batter at the crease.

IND U-19 - 52/2 (15)

Saharan shouts in anguish as he finds the fielder at backward point. He goes for the drive after seeing some width and good length outside off. Fails to keep it down, and Weibgen makes a quick catch in the circle. He swiftly approached the ball approximately chest height, and then took it with the reverse cup. India's in peril.

IND U-19 - 56/3 (17)

MacMilllan struck with the first ball, sending off the deadly Sachin Dhas. A massive blow to India. Tossed outside off, wonderful drift away from the right-hander, causing Dhas to seek out for it with his front foot. He was attempting to force it past the covers but nicks it to the keeper, who went up immediately. The festivities in Australia tell you the story.

IND U-19 - 74/4 (20)

The back of a length outside off delivery which was pretty wide, yet Moliya still pulls. Ends up taking it right off the toe-end and miscueing it to mid-on, where Vidler makes a fantastic grab peddling backwards. Australia is comfortably ahead of India, who have lost half of their team.

IND U-19 - 90/5 (25)

Avanish receives a floaty full ball outside off and chips it gently back to the bowler. Raf MacMillan accepts the dolly from the toe end.

IND U-19 - 91/6 (26)

Adarsh Singh's extended vigil comes to an end, bringing Australia one step closer to the championship. Short and slanted in on the middle and leg, Adarsh pulls and receives a lovely tickle from the gloves to the right of the keeper. Hicks lunges over and makes a terrific catch.

IND U-19 - 115/7 (31)

Knocks him out with utter beauty. Loopy full delivery that drifts and bends in late, smashing the centre and leg pegs. Raj Limbani aimed for an airy fairy stroke on the offside and absolutely missed it.

IND U-19 - 122/8 (32)

Tom Straker claimed the last wicket of Saumy Pandey and India's dream of winning the title for the sixth time came crashing. Australia are Under-19 World Champions.

IND U-19 - 174/10 (43.5)

It's quite surreal, and it hasn't settled yet. We've been working on it for a long time and are pleased that it has paid off. (On the Indian team) They've been terrific, and we knew it'd be a good struggle. I backed my short balls and attempted to smash them into the wicket. (On Dennis Lillee's coaching) Through him, I've learned a lot of mental skills. Thinking about my bowling and the field surroundings. He's been wonderful, and it's always a joy to bowl with him. Future aspirations will most likely include participating in the Big Bash and returning home to try to play cricket for my state.

This means a lot to me. I'll remember this for the remainder of the tournament. I spent a lot of time practicing my inswing, which benefited me in this event. I'm quite excited about the future, and it would be fantastic if I could play for South Africa. There is a lot of hard work to accomplish.

I'm proud of the lads; they played really well. Throughout the competition, he shown a terrific battling spirit. We took a few risks today and did not spend much time in the centre. We were prepared but were unable to carry out our preparations. This competition provided several learning opportunities, both from the support personnel and during the games. We'll aim to keep learning and improving.

We are really proud of the lads and our coaches. Everyone was willing to bat first; our aim was to score a few runs and then back ourselves. (About Harjas Singh) He is a quality player whose class is permanent. Full credit goes to the coaches for staying with him. India is a world-class team that dominated the whole competition before coming up short. I'm confident these individuals will achieve great things in their careers. (On the pacers) They can go so far because they understand their jobs as a group. I'd be astonished if the four of them don't advance in their professions.

Leading run-scorer of the tournament - Uday Saharan (India) - 397 runs

Leading wicket-taker of the tournament - Kwena Maphaka (South Africa) - 21 wickets

Highest score of the tournament - Snehith Reddy (New Zealand) - 147* against Nepal

Best bowling figures of the tournament - Taz Ali (England) - 7/29 against Zimbabwe

Heartbreak for India as Australia clinched the trophy with a 79-run victory in the final clash of ICC U-19 World Cup 2024. Australia's Mahli Bearman was named Player of the Match for his performance.

Goodbye from our side. Take Care!