India beat Ireland by 201 runs on Thursday, January 25, at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein to remain top of Group A's points table. India set a big target of 302 runs against Ireland on Thursday. Opener batter Adarsh Singh departed early while Arshin Kulkarni, who made a fairly aggressive start, failed to capitalise on it and struggled for boundaries as India was reduced to two down in the 20th over for just 80 runs.
Musheer Khan and captain Uday Saharan took over the responsibility and built a century stand for the third wicket. The captain Saharan departed for 75, but Musheer, brother of Sarfaraz Khan, continued strongly to get to his hundred. In reply, Ireland batters never managed to arrive as the likes of Naman Tiwari and Saumy Pandey picked.
Team India will aim to keep its position atop Group A of the ICC event when it takes on Ireland in its second World Cup game. A win on Thursday will help India maintain the top spot in Group A and almost guarantee a place in the Super Six, where the top three teams from each group will progress.
India U19 kicked off their campaign with an 84-run win over Bangladesh U-19 on January 20 at the same venue. Ireland U19 defeated USA U19 by seven wickets in the tournament opener. They lost by six wickets against Bangladesh in their last match.
