Townsville: An unbeaten century by Under-19s skipper Unmukt Chand led India to the quadrangular tournament title in Australia, beating the hosts by seven wickets in the final on Sunday. The visitors overpowered the Australians by chasing down a modest 195-run target with 44 balls to spare.
India, though, should thank the format to be in the final. The four-team tournament featured a semi-final stage. So despite losing all three league games, the Indian team had an even chance of making claims for an appearance in the final, which they did after beating England in the semis.
Medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma backed his team's decision to bowl first by taking four wickets, which limited Australia to 194 for 9. The only notable contributions from the Australian batsmen came from opener Meyrick Buchanan (59) and allrounder Sam Hain (41 not out).
India began their chase on a shaky note, with Test bowler Pat Cummins removing the openers within the first ten overs. However, Chand, batting at No. 3, struck a sublime 112 not out, including nine fours and six sixes, to bail his team out of trouble. The three-figure knock by Chand came at the back of his 94 against England in the semi-finals.
After his return home, Chand will join his IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils.
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