U19 WC: India crush Bangladesh by 8 wickets, through to semi-finals

Defending champions India extended their dominant performance in the ICC Women's U19 World Cup with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their Super Six match on Sunday.

 

With this victory, India has now won all four of their matches in the tournament, maintaining an unbeaten record and further solidifying their position as one of the top title contenders.

 

The Indian bowlers were once again in exceptional form, led by left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, whose outstanding spell of 3/15 restricted Bangladesh to a mere 64 runs in their allotted 20 overs. This marked Bangladesh's lowest total of the tournament. While Bangladesh struggled with the bat, their total was the highest India had conceded in the tournament, having previously bowled out West Indies for 44 and Malaysia for 31. 

 

India's chase was off to a flying start, with the in-form Trisha Gongadi playing a dominant role. Gongadi scored a quick-fire 40 off just 31 balls, hammering eight boundaries in a display of aggressive batting. Her efforts put immense pressure on the Bangladesh bowlers, and by the time she was dismissed following the powerplay, India needed only five more runs to seal the victory.

 

Sanika Chalke (11 not out) and captain Niki Prasad (5 not out) guided India to victory in just 7.1 overs, without any further hiccups. India's bowlers have been the backbone of their campaign, consistently restricting opposition teams to under 100 runs in all their matches.

 

Bangladesh, sent in to bat first, started aggressively but were quickly reduced to 9/3 within the first four overs, with India’s seamers VJ Joshitha (1/6) and Shabnam Shakil (1/7) exploiting the conditions well. India’s spinners then took control, with Vaishnavi Sharma dismantling the middle order. Her crucial breakthrough of the 31-run partnership between Bangladesh's captain Sumaiya Akter (21) and Jannatul Maoua (14) pushed Bangladesh to 64/9 after being 53/4. Gongadi also chipped in with a wicket, adding further pressure on the Bangladeshi batters.

 

Despite their struggles, Bangladesh managed to bat out the full 20 overs, with only two players reaching double figures. India’s bowlers were relentless, restricting the opposition at every turn. Bangladesh’s poor running between the wickets and frequent dismissals ensured they could not build any momentum.

 

India will look to maintain their winning form when they face Scotland in their final Super Six fixture on Tuesday.