Beating an Indian cricket team at home, whether senior or junior, is a rare feat. The senior team hasn’t lost a red-ball series in 12 years at home, and the juniors are proving to be just as formidable, making them a daunting challenge for any opposition here.
After the Australian U-19 team was handed a 0-3 whitewash in the ODI series in Puducherry, the action shifted to Chennai for the red-ball series. Expectations were high for India to continue its dominance, but the longer format brought new challenges. The players were unfamiliar with each other, and, after all, they were still just teenagers.
Simon Budge, the Australian captain, knew batting last would be tricky, and after winning the toss, he wisely chose to bat first. The Australians put up a decent 293 in their first innings.
In response, the spotlight turned to 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who stole the show. In just 58 balls, he smashed a century that was a masterclass in shot-making — from elegant cover drives to powerful pulls, his innings had it all.
The Australian Colts mounted a comeback and went on to bundle out India for just 296, allowing the home team to take a three-run lead before scoring 214 in the second innings.
Chasing a modest 212, India faced a tricky pitch that had started to assist spin due to the wear and tear from both innings. The game was still alive.
The Kangaroos got off to an ideal start, with pacer Hayden Schiller bowling from the Anna Pavilion End. However, it was off-spinner Thomas Brown who struck first, dismissing India’s first-innings hero Suryavanshi with a delivery that skidded off the rough outside off-stump, catching the edge and landing safely in Budge’s gloves.
Nitya J. Pandya joined Vihaan Malhotra in a wary attempt to negotiate the pace-spin duo of Schiller and Brown.
Budge removed Schiller only after two overs and brought in dependable Aidan O’Connor, the same all-rounder who had been on rescue duty all through the match. First, he brought Australia to safety with his attacking 61 in the first innings, then helped his team set a 200-plus target with his 38-ball 35 in the second innings.
O’Connor plays a shot during the first day of the 1st Test cricket match between India U-19 and Australia U-19, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: PTI
The Indian pair safely returned at lunch with India 25/1 with 52 more overs left for the day.
Sharp at 12:40, the play resumed and so did the Australian attack. O’Connor struck soon, removing Malhotra with a surprise bouncer that induced a leading edge, handing a simple return catch to the bowler. Australia was on top.
Karthikeya KP then walked in, with Australia hoping for a repeat of his first-innings failure, where he had fallen for a two-ball duck.
Instead, both Karthikeya and Pandya began to find their rhythm. They added 35 runs in eight overs, with Karthikeya playing with fluency, his cover drives and backfoot punches particularly standing out. By this time, Australia had switched to a spin attack from both ends, with Vishwa Ramkumar coming on to replace O’Connor.
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The momentum was shifting in India’s favour, and Australia’s attack began to falter. They opened the field, allowing India to accumulate 30 more runs over the next eight overs. Karthikeya, determined to make up for his earlier mistake, was punishing anything loose, especially using his sweeps effectively against Ramkumar.
Just when it seemed India might wrap up the match quickly, Ramkumar struck, trapping Karthikeya in front with a googly. Australia was back in the contest. The mood shifted, and the fielders tightened up. Only seven runs came off the next four overs as Ramkumar and Christian Howe dried up the boundaries.
Pandya reached his fifty with a single, but his joy was short-lived.
Ramkumar, bowling his seventh consecutive over, dismissed Pandya leg-before with a straight delivery.
Budge, sensing a chance to turn the match around, brought back O’Connor, who immediately broke through India’s middle order, dismissing skipper Soham Patwardhan. Suddenly, India had collapsed from 96 for two to 113 for five in seven overs.
With two new batters at the crease, Nikhil Kumar and Abhigyan Kundu, Australia sensed an opportunity. A cold stare and a slow clap from O’Connor greeted Nikhil as he stepped in. The tension was discernible. Nikhil swung and missed at the first ball before managing a solid defence on the next.
Sensing the pressure, the Australians turned up the heat with verbal taunts, trying to rattle the young Indian pair. Schiller, fired up, had a heated exchange with Kundu when the batter, not ready in his stance, sent the pacer back from his run-up.
Australia, eager for another breakthrough before tea, rushed through a quick changeover, aiming to squeeze in one more over. It was chaotic, just what it wanted. Brown returned to the attack, and on his second ball, Kundu edged one towards fly slip. Nikhil, already halfway down the pitch, scrambled back just in time, narrowly avoiding disaster.
India held on by the skin of its teeth, reaching 127 for five at tea. The Australians, though still in command, knew they had let a chance slip away.
CHENNAI,TAMILNADU,02/10/2024: India’s Under-19 Player Nikhil Kumar (left) who guide India Under-19 winning the first test match against Australia Under-19 at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.Photo: | Photo Credit: Ragu R / The Hindu
After tea, reading Ramkumar’s deliveries became increasingly difficult for the Indian batters, who struggled with his variations. But Nikhil Kumar had other ideas — deciding that attack was the best defence. He took the game to Brown, dispatching him for two massive sixes in consecutive overs. The first soared over wide long-on, while the second sailed over cow corner.
Kundu, meanwhile, had a stroke of luck, edging one off Ramkumar, but the ball raced to the third-man boundary. As the tension mounted, Budge adjusted his field with a long leg, deep third man, mid-on, mid-off, and a backward point, trying to stem the flow of runs.
The pressure eventually told. Kundu, playing away from his body, fell to O’Connor, edging behind to the keeper. With every wicket, the intensity on the field ratcheted up.
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Australia’s seventh breakthrough came when Vishwa’s sharp slider breached Mohamed Enaan’s defence, leaving India in deeper trouble. The gripping two hours of tough cricket had swung back in Australia’s favour.
With Samarth N. joining Nikhil at the crease, the latter decided it was time to break free. He unleashed a powerful lofted drive straight over the sightscreen, reducing the required runs to just 31 runs.
India’s Nikhil Kumar shakes hands with Ramkumar after India U-19 won the 1st unofficial test cricket match against Australia U-19, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: PTI
As the clock ticked down and only four possible overs remained in the final 20 minutes, Samarth got in on the action. He played a textbook cover drive with 27 runs still needed, followed by a well-timed pull to deep forward square leg for four. The momentum shift forced the umpires to extend play to see the game to its conclusion.
The final twist came when India needed just two runs to win. O’Connor trapped Samarth leg-before-wicket, sending a jolt of tension through the Indian camp. But Nikhil, calm under pressure, sealed the victory with a boundary, ensuring India walked away as the happier side with a hard-fought win in the Test.
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