Mackay (Australia), October 8(HS): The India Under-19 cricket team completed a dominant tour of Australia by defeating the hosts in the second Youth Test to secure a 2–0 series sweep. The visitors comfortably chased down a modest target of 81 runs in under 13 overs at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, sealing the match by seven wickets and wrapping up a perfect tour.India’s tour was a resounding success, with the young side winning all five matches — three One-Day games and two Tests — against Australia U-19.

In the series-clinching win, Vedant Trivedi played a composed innings of 33 not out, striking the winning boundary to take India home. Skipper Ayush Mhatre contributed 13 runs, while Vihaan Malhotra made 21 and Rahul Kumar remained unbeaten on 13. Vaibhav Suryawanshi, however, was dismissed without scoring. Trivedi finished as India’s standout performer of the tour, amassing 173 runs in the ODIs and 198 runs in the Tests.

Suryawanshi followed with 133 Test runs and 124 ODI runs, making him another consistent performer.Earlier, Australia managed only 135 runs in their first innings, before India replied with 171, taking a crucial 36-run lead. In the second innings, Australia were bundled out for 116, setting India an easy chase.

For the visitors, Naman Pushpak and Henil Patel picked up three wickets each, while Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Lee Young top-scored for his side with 38 runs.India’s comprehensive performances throughout the series underscored the depth and promise of its next generation of cricketers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar