Preview: India U19s v Bangladesh U19s

It’s a clash of the subcontinent in the last quarter-final on Friday, with India and Bangladesh playing for the right to meet Pakistan in the Super League semi-finals in Christchurch.

Form guide

India were unbeaten in topping Group B, completing a dominant 100-run win over their main group-stage rivals Australia in their first match of the tournament. They followed that up with 10-wicket demolitions of PNG and Zimbabwe to wrap up a perfect start to the competition. They look difficult to beat on current form, but are yet to be pushed hard.

Bangladesh eased to an 87-run victory over Namibia in the opening game, and then followed it up with a 66-run defeat of Canada to go top of the Group C table. Given that they had lost twice to Afghanistan before the tournament, in the warm-ups and in the U19 Asia Cup, this was a heartening start. They went down by seven wickets to England, though, with over 20 overs to spare.

Players to watch

**Prithivi Shaw (Ind)**India's captain led his team from the front with scores of 94 and 57* in India's first two games. He was not required in the third, when he was dropped down the order to give other batsmen some time in the middle, an opportunity that Shubman Gill gladly accepted by scoring 90*. A right-hand opener, Shaw has drawn comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar after starting his first-class career with five centuries from nine games.

**Afif Hossain (Ban)**Left-hand bat and right-arm off-spinner Afif Hossain has been the star of the Tigers outfit so far, registering 50 and 5/43 against Canada to book Bangladesh’s place in the Super League, before hitting an impressive 63 against a dominant England side. He will be key to his team’s hopes against India.

World Cup history

India won their first title in 2000, with Yuvraj Singh claiming the Player of the Tournament award, a feat he would emulate for the senior side in 2011 as India won the ICC Cricket World Cup. The 2004 Player of the Tournament also came from India, though the Shikhar Dhawan-inspired side lost to Pakistan in the final. The 2008 side, captained by one Virat Kohli, also claimed the title, and India added a third triumph in 2012. In 2016 they came desperately close to securing a record-breaking fourth trophy, but were beaten by West Indies in a last-over thriller.

This is the 11th appearance at the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup for Bangladesh, who made their tournament debut 20 years ago in South Africa. Enamul Haque holds the tournament record for the most wickets in a single edition of the competition, claiming 22 on home soil in 2004. Bangladesh also produced the top run-scorer in 2012 (Anamul Haque, 365 runs) and 2014 (Shadman Islam, 406 runs). They hosted the last edition, in which they achieved their best result of third place.

Head to head

India have won 13 and lost two out of the 15 matches played between these sides since 2000. The teams have met just three times in Under 19 Cricket World Cups, with India 2-1 up so far. They won by 122 runs in Moratuwa in 2000, lost by two wickets in Auckland in 2002 and won by 131 runs in Dhaka in 2004.

Forecast

A bit of cloud but plenty of sunshine and temperatures of around 29 degrees are expected. There’s a 20 per cent chance of rain and 60 per cent humidity.

Squads

**India:**Prithvi Shaw (c), Shubman Gill, Aryan Juyal, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harvik Desai, Manjot Kalra, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pankaj Yadav, Riyan Parag, Ishan Porel, Himanshu Rana, Anukul Roy, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh
**Bangladesh:**Saif Hassan (c), Afif Hossain, Aminul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mohammad Naim, Mohammad Rakib, Nayeem Hasan, Pinak Ghosh, Qazi Onik, Robiul Hoque, Roni Hossen, Shakil Hossain, Tipu Sultan, Towhid Hridoy