OSBOURN (ANTIGUA), Jan 28: COVID-hit India will be bolstered by the return of key players, including skipper Yash Dhull, when the record four-time champions meet holders Bangladesh in the third quarter-final of the U-19 Cricket World Cup here on Saturday.
Most of the half a dozen India players, who were affected by the dreaded virus, have recovered and are set to feature in the crucial clash.
However, Nishant Sindhu, who was stand-in captain of the team, has tested positive and will miss the match.
He will be replaced by Aneeshwar Gautam in the squad.
Six players – Dhull, his deputy Shaik Rasheed, Sidharth Yadav, Aaradhya Yadav and Manav Parakh – had returned positive RTPCR tests before the Ireland game
All of them are available for Saturday’s game.
Dhull and other infected players reached Antigua on Friday morning after undergoing seven days of isolation in Trinidad.
“They have been medically deemed fit to play. They have a day or so to train and be game ready,” an ICC source said.
They had gone into isolation ahead of India’s second league fixture against Ireland, dealing a big blow to the record four time champions.
Five of them tested positive in the RTPCR tests and also ended up missing the last league game against Uganda.
However, the depth in the squad ensured India won both those games comfortably and qualified for the quarter-finals as group toppers.
Sindhu led the side in Dhull’s absence as India struggled to field 11 fit players on the park in the game against Ireland.
“Most of the players have recovered and should be fit enough to play tomorrow,” a BCCI official said.
Both Dhull and Rasheed are important batters for the team and had looked in good touch against South Africa in India’s tournament opener.
Opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi and all-rounder Raj Bawa’s confidence must be sky high after they scored match winning centuries against Uganda.
Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal has been India’s stand out bowler in the tournament with seven wickets.
The Bangladesh batters will also not have an easy time negotiating the extra pace of Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
The India-Bangladesh clash will be a rematch of the previous edition’s final in 2020 when Bangladesh had stunned favourites India to win their maiden U-19 World Cup title.
Current Bangladesh skipper Rakibul Hasan was part of that memorable final.
In the recently held Asia Cup semi-final in the UAE, India had outplayed Bangaldesh and gone on to win the title.
Bangladesh’s entry into the knockouts here wasn’t as smooth as India’s.
England outplayed them in the first game before the Bangladesh boys qualified with wins over Canada and UAE. (PTI)
Match starts 6.30 pm IST.