India booked their place in the semifinals following a crushing win over Malaysia in their final Group A fixture.
Abhigyan Kundu was the star of the show as he produced a breathtaking, record-breaking knock to guide India to a commanding victory. Kundu hammered an unbeaten 209 off 125 balls, propelling India to a mammoth 408 for 7 before Malaysia were bowled out for just 93.
Coming in at No. 5 in the 11th over, Kundu anchored the innings right till the end. His double century is among the highest individual scores in youth cricket, though it does not carry official Youth ODI status. The recognised record is held by South Africa’s Jorich Van Schalkwyk, who struck 215 off 153 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare earlier this year. Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar had also scored 209 against Qatar in 2012, but that game too lacked official status.
Kundu took charge after Vaibhav Suryavanshi provided early impetus with a blistering 26-ball fifty. He then stitched together a massive 209-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Vedant Trivedi, who chipped in with 90 off 106 balls. The stand stretched from the 11th to the 41st over, and by the time Trivedi was dismissed, Kundu had already moved to 128 off 92 deliveries.
The closing stages of the innings saw Kundu shift gears emphatically, smashing 81 runs off his final 33 balls to take India past the 400-run mark. Earlier in the tournament, he had also contributed 32 not out off 17 balls against the UAE and 22 off 32 balls versus Pakistan.
For Malaysia, left-arm medium pacer Muhammad Akram was the lone bright spot, picking up 5 for 89 from his full quota, including the key wickets of Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra and Harvansh Pangalia.
Malaysia’s chase never gained momentum as they lost both openers, Azib Wajdi and Mohammad Hairil, for ducks. Medium pacer Deepesh Devendran ripped through the batting line-up, taking a wicket in each of his first five overs to leave Malaysia reeling at 38 for 7. He finished with a five-wicket haul as Malaysia were dismissed for 93. A brief 36-run partnership for the final wicket between Hamza Panggi and Jaashwin Krishnamurthi delayed the inevitable before India wrapped up an emphatic win.
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