‘Thrice’ as bad!

India has much to ponder after their World Cup ambitions were given a reality check with bat and ball in a 79run loss to Australia on a predictably balmy Sunday afternoon in South Africarsquos BenoniPerhaps in what was a chance to make a major statement in front of a sea of yellow at Willowmoore Park the Indians were powerless as Australia stormed to a healthy 253 for seven the highest total by any team in the U19 World Cup final history and conversely Indias worst performance with the ball ever in this tournamentAlso Read A shot at unprecedented gloryIn response the Australian teens were more lsquotug boatrsquo than lsquocruiserrsquo a lack of urgency and disciplined bowling having them capsize for a lowly 174 on the final ball of the day ensuring Indiarsquos first defeat in the tournament much like the senior team in the World Cup last NovemberIts unbelievable I am so proud of this group of boys and the coaches A lot of work has gone in over the last few months Australia captain Hugh Weibgen said We had a fair bit of confidence that if we got 250 on the board wed defend it India obviously is a class side they dominated the whole tournament and they were on the wrong side today but they have a lot of classIndiarsquos U19 World Cup campaign seemed like a dream until Sunday not because it was fleeting or because it would be something to fondly reminisce about in the future but because each game like a dream had a tale to shareBut while Australia werent exactly favourites going into the summit clash the pressure was definitely on India the defending champions to avenge the 2023 final defeat Having said that India has had the perfect tournament on their undefeated run to the final riding the wave of home support and not looking like crumbling under the weight of a nation of 14 billion peopleWe played a few rash shots couldnt spend more time at the crease We had prepared but couldnt execute said skipper Uday Saharan during the postmatch presentation It was a very good tournament I am very proud of the boys they all played very well They all showed great fighting spirit from the start very proud of them We got to learn a lot from the start to now From the coaching staff to the games learned a lot Now we just need to keep learning more and move aheadAlso Read To err is DRSIf only India had managed to get away with several of those rash shots that undermined their batting expertise at large it could have been their sixth title This marked Indias fifth successive U19 World Cup final appearance and their third against the Aussies who had never beaten them in a U19 World Cup final until SundayAustralia was also unbeaten throughout the tournament and there was always a familiar sense that it would feel very much like a bonus if they won the final much like their unexpected triumph at the 2021 T20 World Cup or the 2023 ODI World Cup But it was simply victory or bust for India who have been looking to overcome somewhat of an ICC hoodoo but to no availCricket pundits would argue that the power balance in global cricket has tilted more towards India over the past decade via the Indian Premier League and the farreaching control of Indiarsquos governing cricket body the BCCI No doubt be it at the senior level or the U19 India has been a dominant force in cricket for some time but the truth is there arenrsquot any regular trophies to show for itIndiarsquos World Cup campaign on Sunday ended with a familiar sight as Saharan left the field in tears reviving memories of senior menrsquos team captain Rohit Sharmarsquos sorrowful reaction to the teams exit in the final last year Yet though downcast at their defeat Saharanrsquos boys at least have the consolation of knowing that they did everything in their power to work a miracle and squeeze into the final stage But who can fight destiny after allWith quotes from PTI