U19 WC: Aaron’s classy ton carries India to final

Aaron George’s silken hundred seamlessly merged with the explosive fifties from IPL stars Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, guiding India to the ICC U-19 World Cup final with a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan here on Wednesday. India now face England in the summit clash here on Friday. It will be India’s 10th final in the U-19 showpiece, a testimony to BCCI’s structured junior cricket programme that unearths serious talent. India seemed to have a tough task ahead once Afghanistan piled 310 for four, built around hundreds by Faisal Shinozada (110) and Uzairullah Niazal (101). But India cantered past the target in 41.1 overs and it was also their highest-ever chase in the U-19 World Cup. Aaron (115, 104b) led the chase with a hundred of impeccable pace and precision placements of his shots. He received ample backing from Suryavanshi (68, 33b) and Mhatre (62, 59b) as India kept their run-rate above seven all the while. As is his vaunt, Sooryavanshi gave a flying start to India’s innings with a flurry of boundaries, mainly off off-spinner Wahidullah Zadran. There was a slice of fortune too when Niazal dropped the left-hander on 22 at point off Abdul Aziz. But around that lapse, Sooryavanshi batted quite aggressively, even pulling off a stunning helicopter shot six off pacer Nooristani Omarzai. There were repeated attempts to play pull shot in his innings, which eventually became his undoing – an aimless hoick off Omarzai ended in the hands of Osman Sadat inside the circle. The opening wicket alliance stopped at 93, but Aaron then combined with Mhatre to add another 114 runs in just over 17 overs to take India past 200 in the 27th over. Mhatre, who has been struggling for his rhythm in this tournament, made a fifty at the right moment, displaying his full selection of shots. Once again, Aaron played the anchor’s role to perfection as Mhatre took all the risks to keep his side much ahead of the asking rate. Mhatre’s dismissal did not deter Aaron, and he batted on as composedly as has been doing in this innings. Apart from his unflappability and situational awareness, the aesthetics of Aaron’s batting was also impressive. @@@