Skipper Ashok Menaria played a captain's knock, scoring an unbeaten 63 runs to help the Indian under-19 team thrash their Australian counterparts by seven wickets in the opener of the five-match limited overs tournament at the Bellerive Oval today.

Electing to bat, Australia were skittled out for a paltry 168 in 48 overs and India chased the required runs with five overs to spare. The Indian pacers restricted the hosts with some disciplined bowling while the spinners kept up the pressure on the Australian middle-order with some tight line and length.