Ojha’s Century Rescues India U19 In Colombo

Kushagra Ojha hits a brilliant unbeaten century to save India U19 against Sri Lanka’s attack.

A shocking start in Colombo

Cricket has a knack of throwing surprises at us, and once again the second Youth Test between India Under-19 and Sri Lanka Under-19 in Colombo was no different.

When the Sri Lankan skipper won the toss and decided to field first, nobody could have expected what was in store for the opening session of the day’s play. The young Indian innings got off to a shocker as the hosts sent back both openers to the pavilion without adding a single run to the score.

Chasing a Par Score

The hosts, Sri Lanka Under-19, made a brilliant start to their innings with handy opening bowling by Sethmika Seneviratne and Gimhan Mendis.

Sri Lankan pace bowlers made the pitch of Colombo talk for the first hour of day one as both Indian openers were sent back to the pavilion for a meager 0. Indian skipper Yashbardhan Chauhan knew he had to do something drastic to save the innings as a meager chase of 87 would not be on the cards.

Shocking Start But Chauhan Changes The Course

Yashbardhan Chauhan, instead of sitting tight and trying to protect the innings, decided to take the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers.

His positive approach soon paid off as he hit a few sixes in the air, sending the ball back over the boundary ropes with thumping power. This change in approach soon took the initiative away from the Sri Lankan bowlers, and put some hope back into the Indian fans.

Helps Turn the Tide

It was then that young Kushagra Ojha came to the rescue of the crumbling Indian innings, with a brilliant stand of 122 along with skipper Chauhan. This 122 was just what the visiting team needed then, as they managed to recover well from the early setbacks.

Chauhan and Ojha’s masterful performance took the sting out of the Sri Lankan bowling attack as both of them took a few chances at scoring.

Ojha Anchors Indian Innings

While Chauhan kept hitting the boundaries in the air with power and precision, Ojha showed his maturity and played the anchoring role, waiting for the right time to score.

A Brilliant Century by Ojha Sets Foundation

Ojha’s patient approach, which kept all the pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers, soon bore fruit as he converted his 82 balls faced into a brilliant century. A big, unassailable century to become the foundation for a big Indian total to come in this thrilling second day of the Youth Test match.

Manal Follows In The Footsteps

Soon after Manal Chauhan walked out to bat, Sri Lanka fancied their chances to peg back the scoring, only to be disappointed as Manal followed in the footsteps of his elder brother Chauhan.

Manal Chauhan also maintained a positive approach and was soon scoring freely along with Kushagra Ojha, taking the pressure off his younger batting partner.

Lanka Bowling Attack In Final Session of Day One

The final session of day one belonged to Ojha and Manal, as both of them batted with a will to score big. They did not give a single chance to the Sri Lankan bowlers to get off the mark as both of them took the attack to the bowlers. These two batters scored 99 runs in the last twenty overs, completely dismantling the Sri Lankan bowling attack.

Partners Take Pressure

Manal Chauhan then accelerated the scoring to reach a brilliant fifty, not out. He batted with a clear intention of scoring big runs and kept hitting the ball at will.

The young Manal Chauhan reached an unbeaten 55, which came off 78 balls faced, while he also shared a brilliant 131-run stand for the fourth wicket with Kushagra Ojha. With these two young stars scoring freely, the Sri Lankan attack got frustrated and failed to create many scoring opportunities.

the Play On Day One

It was a pity that bad light and rain stopped the play on an overcast Colombo day, as the two young batters, Ojha and Manal, were looking in good form and in great scoring positions. Bad weather conditions forced early stumps as only 65 overs were bowled on the first day, but enough to turn the Indian innings around and set the platform for a big first-innings total.

Make Leverage On Day Two

Closing the day’s play at a healthy 253 for 3, the young Indian team made a good recovery after their disastrous start to the innings.

The young men displayed the fighting spirit in them to turn a bad start into a great recovery. With their morale boosted, they are all expected to dominate the Sri Lankan bowling attack on day two and gain a good leverage to score a big first-innings total.