India U-19 face maiden defeat, lose by 5 wickets to England

Cheltenham: India U-19 lost by five wickets against hosts England
U-19 to suffer their first defeat in the Tri Nation 50-over tournament here on Friday. Sent into bat, Divyaansh Saxena hit a patient 51 while opener Tilak Verma made 47 to guide India U-19 to 256 for six.
Besides, Shubhang Hegde (32 not out) and Karan Lal (31 not out) played good hands to help India A’s cause. Sameer Rizvi (28) and skipper Priyam Garg (13) also got starts but failed to carry on. Off-spinner Hamidullah Qadri (2/37) and medium pacer Kasey Aldridge (2/39) chipped in with two wickets apiece for England U-19. Chasing 257 for a win, England U-19 rode on Jack Haynes’ 104-ball 89 and opener Ben Charlesworth’s 52 to overwhelm the target in 48.4 overs. Skipper George Hill (41) and Aldridge (29) remained unbeaten to guide England U-19 home and hand the hosts their first win in the tournament. Left-arm orthodox spinner Hegde was the pick of the bowlers for India U-19 with figures of three for 60.
It was India U-19 team’s first defeat in three matches. The Indians had earlier defeated England U-19 by five wickets before beating Bangladesh U-19 by six wickets in Worcester. India U-19 will next play Bangladesh U-19 here on Saturday. (PTI)