India vs Ireland

India’s innings in their men’s under-19 World Cup match against Ireland at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Thursday lasted 312 balls and more than three and a half hours, but what many who witnessed it will remember most is what transpired in the space of a single delivery and the blink of an eye.

Oliver Riley charged in on Musheer Khan to bowl the second ball of the 48th over. Musheer began moving to the off-side a few strides before Riley reached the crease. The bowler saw the batter moving and speared the ball wide of the off stump. Musheer had moved so far from his original position – off the pitch to where an ignorant point may have curled – that he was now dealing with a leg-side delivery.

India crushed Ireland by 201 runs in Bloemfontein on Thursday (January 25), strengthening their prospects of finishing top of the table. When India batted, Musheer Khan’s magnificent tonne (118 off 106) and 156-run combination with skipper Uday Saharan (75 off 84) powered the team. Cameos from Aravelly Avanish (22 off 13) and Sachin Dhas (21 off 9) ensured that the platform laid by the large partnership was fully utilized at the back end. India’s hitters took their time throughout the first 20 overs, but as the conditions improved for batting, they made the most of it, scoring 300 or more runs.

Musheer was not the only family member who had reason to celebrate on Thursday. His brother, Sarfaraz Khan, hit 161 for India A against the England Lions in a four-day tournament in Ahmedabad that began on Wednesday. “My father is a proud man today,” Musheer explained. Sarfaraz is over seven years older than Musheer and has played 36 under-19 ODIs for India. So it was natural that the brothers should have communicated about Musheer’s journey to South Africa. “We had a healthy conversation and he passed on a lot of experience,” he said. “That’s helping me to perform better and understand the conditions.”

India’s bowlers complemented their hitters’ uncompromising approach with a clinical performance, and Ireland was 45/8 before they knew it. Naman Tiwari (4-53) annihilated the top order, while the rest kept chipping away at the wickets. Saumy Pandey (3-21) maintained his good form throughout the tournament. Daniel Forkin and Oliver Riley stitched a small stand to guarantee that Ireland reached three figures, but there was little relief for them.

Brief scores: India 301/7 in 50 overs (Musheer Khan 118, Uday Saharan 75; Oliver Riley 3-55) beat Ireland 100 in 29.4 overs (Naman Tiwari 4-53, Saumy Pandey 3-21) by 201 runs.