A flamboyant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (81 off 47 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes) spearheaded India U-19’s charge after a spirited performance by bowlers put the host in a commanding position against Australia U-19 at the end of Day 1 of the first Youth Test at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.
The 13-year-old from Bihar was at his fluent best, with a diverse array of shots off both the front and back foot. His low, forward-leaning stance, and a Prithvi Shaw-like distinctive bat swing, allowed him to find the middle of the bat consistently, on a pitch that offered good bounce and carry.
His innings featured a glorious square-drive at deep point and a flashy cut behind square, setting the tone for what was to follow.
Vaibhav launched a pull over deep mid-wicket, executed a Shikhar Dhawan-esque cut with both feet off the ground, and struck a classic cover drive off Hayden Schiller in the seventh over. From 45 runs off 20 balls, he surged to 53 off 24 with two boundaries, reaching his half-century with a backfoot punch.
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Vaibhav’s explosive batting contributed to over 80 per cent of India’s total, and his partnership of 103 runs for the first wicket with Vihan Malhotra came in just 14 overs.
His opening partner, vice-captain Vihaan, primarily played the anchor role, quietly witnessing the spectacle alongside a handful of spectators, mostly comprising parents of the young players. The resounding thud of Vaibhav’s bat echoed around the ground as he consistently dispatched the ball over the fence.
Scoring at a strike rate of over 170, Vaibhav ensured India finished the day trailing Australia’s 293 by just 190 runs at Stumps.
Earlier, on a hot day, the Australian colts, who decided to bat first after winning the toss, got off to a promising start, only to be pegged back by the Indian spinners b Lunch.
Openers Riley Kingsell and Steve Hogan showed restraint while capitalising on the loose deliveries, dispatching pacers N. Samarth and Aditya Rawat, who shared the new ball for India, to the boundary early on.
Kingsell set the tone with a crisp cover-drive off Samarth, while skipper Soham Patwardhan set an aggressive field with three slips, a gully, short mid-wicket, and short mid-on, with three fielders outside the circle, including one stationed at third-man.
The first bowling change came after nine overs, with Nikhil Kumar replacing Samarth. At the other end, left-arm spinner Aditya Singh came into the attack and wasted no time, trapping Hogan in front off just his second delivery when the batter was caught defending on the back foot.
Mohamed Enaan picked up three wickets to wreak havoc in Australia’s middle order. | Photo Credit: RAGU R/ The Hindu
Kingsell found an able ally in southpaw Oliver Peake, as the pair put on a 57-run stand for the second wicket. Peake looked in fine touch, slamming back-to-back boundaries off Aditya, one down the ground and the other a neat backfoot cut to deep point. He added a third boundary with an authoritative shimmy down the track, all off Aditya’s deliveries.
While Peake targeted Aditya, Kingsell took on the entire Indian attack, collecting boundaries with ease. His slog-sweep off Soham’s first over looked ominous, but the Indian skipper responded quickly, cleaning up Kingsell with a quicker delivery off the next ball.
India continued to tighten the grip as Samarth’s short delivery found the edge of Peake’s bat, resulting in a straightforward catch for the wicketkeeper.
Mohamed Enaan, India’s highest wicket-taker in the one-day series, then joined the action. The Kerala leg-spinner’s flight induced an edge from Zac Curtain, with Nitya Pandya completing a sharp catch at silly point.
Australia, which once stood at 96 for one, found itself at 121 for four by Lunch. Enaan inflicted further damage in the second session, cleaning up captain Simon Budge and dismissing Addison Sheriff, reducing Australia to 152 for six.
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Just when things were looking bleak for Australia, its U-19 World Cup-winning team member Aidan O’Connor had different plans. The 18-year-old launched a counter-attack, slamming Nikhil for three boundaries in an over — a punch through mid-off, a drive over cover, and a pull over mid-wicket — shifting the momentum of the game.
He then neutralised Enaan’s threat by hitting him for a six and a four, followed by a towering maximum off Aditya at wide long-off, signalling his intent to take the fight to the Indian bowlers. He reached his fifty in just 46 deliveries, taking Australia to a competitive 240 for six at Tea.
However, the break halted Australia’s recovery. In the final session, Samarth and Rawat combined to take four wickets, helping India bundle Australia out for under 300.
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