India clinched the U-19 Cricket World Cup title for a record fifth time after beating England by four wickets in the 2022 summit clash at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Saturday. (More Cricket News)
India rode on a sensational all-round show from Raj Angad Bawa. The Chandigarh boy shone with the ball with a sensational fiver (5/31) to help India shot England out for 189 before hitting a valuable 35 down the order to help India chase down the target of 190 with 2.2 overs to spare.
Soon after India's win, legends of the game took to social media platforms to congratulate the Yash Dhull-led team.
Legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who helped India win their maiden U-19 World Cup in 2000 with a player of the tournament performance, hailed the "amazing spells by Bawa and Ravi Kumar (4/34).
Congratulations to the #BoysinBlue & the entire nation for winning the #U19CWC! Amazing spells by Ravi Kumar & Raj Bawa šš» šš» The future of Indian cricket looks bright š®š³ Well played boys. Super proud! @BCCI
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) February 5, 2022
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer, known for his spicy tweets, aimed at ex-England captain Michael Vaughan. He wrote:
Finalists 2016
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 6, 2022
Champions 2018
Finalists 2020
Champions 2022 š®š³
Some things never change eh @MichaelVaughan š #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/BFYbGI9Oob
Vaughan himself had earlier tweeted in praise of the Indian team after beating Australia to enter the final.
India U19s batting looked high class … The future looks secured for the Indian Team .. Yash Dhull looks exceptional .. #U19WorldCup2022
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 2, 2022
BCCI boss and former India captain hailed the "absolutely breathtaking and tremendous performance under pressure":
Absolutely breathtaking and tremendous performance under pressure by every member of the team @JayShah @ThakurArunS @ShuklaRajiv
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) February 5, 2022
Former India opener Virender Sehwag said India deserved the title:
Jalwa hai hamaara yahaan.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) February 6, 2022
Many congratulations @BCCI on becoming champions for the 5th time.
Fantastic contributions from everyone and a deserved title. Enjoy the moment boys #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/E0zqirfIPA
Spin great and former India captain Anil Kumble said that the team "showed resilience and maturity under pressure."
Congratulations #IndiaU19 for winning the Worldcup. Showed resilience and maturity under pressure. Well done Team šš
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) February 6, 2022
It was a remarkable achievement for India, who had won the title in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, as they found themselves in a situation where they were struggling to field a playing XI after multiple players contracted COVID-19 hours before their match against Ireland.
Six members of the squad, including captain Yash Dhull and his deputy Shaik Rasheed, missed both the Ireland and Uganda fixtures, forcing the BCCI to fly in precautionary reinforcements.
