U19 WC: Gill, Anukul shine in India's 10-wicket mauling of Zimbabwe

Left-arm spinner Anukul Sudhakar Roy continued to wave his magic in the ongoing U-19 World Cup by picking up four wickets as India bowled out Zimbabwe for a paltry 154 in their final group league match at Mount Maunganui on Friday.

Openers Shubman Gill and Harvik Desai struck half centuries after left-arm spinner Anukul Roy picked up four wickets as India mauled Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to reach the quarterfinal of the U-19 World Cup with an all win record.

India will face neighbours Bangladesh in the quarterfinal encounter.

India toped Group B and became only the second side in the history of U 19 World Cup to record two successive 10-wicket wins after England had done the same in 2008.

India beat Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in their group B match after beating Australia by 100 runs.

Chasing a target of 155, the Indian openers Gill and Desai started off in aggressive fashion and never allowed Zimbabwe to get a foot inside the door.

Interestingly, regular openers Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra decided to make way for Desai, drafted into the playing XI in place of Himanshu Rana and Shubman Gill.

Desai did not disappoint as he played supporting role while Gill made a mockery of the Zimbabwe attack.

Gill took batting to another level with his free flowing strokeplay and hit 14 fours in his 90-run innings. He scored at a strike rate of 152.54.

Earlier, it was the Indian spinners led by left-arm orthodox Anukul Roy, that starngled the Zimbabwe batters.

After a match-winning five-wicket haul against minnows Papua New Guinea, Roy returned with figures of 4 for 20 against Zimbabwe to initiate a middle order collapse after they had got off a to reasonable start opting to bat first.

Zimbabwe were going well at 110 for 3, when Roy got the all important wicket of Milton Shumba for 36. He dragged Shumba out of his crease with a well tossed up delivery around the fourth stump that turned past the bat and wicket-keeper Harvik Desai, who came in place of Aryan Juyal, was quick to dislodge the bails.

The next two deliveries were a perfect example of arm-ball. He trapped both Chimhinya (0) and Zimbabwe captain Liam Roche (31) in no man’s land. From 110 for , Zimbabwe were six down for 117.

The Indian seamers struck before Roy returned to claim the last Zimbabwe wicket.

Zimbabwe lost opener Gregory Dollar (4) to beautiful inswinger from Shivam Mavi. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh then foxed Dion Myres (10) with well-disguised slower one to reduce Zimbabwe to 36 for 2.

Milton Shumba and captain Roche stitched together a 49-run partnership before Roy came into the attack to rattle the Zimabwe innings.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh and spinner Abhishek Sharma picked up two wickets apiece for India.

India have already secured qualification for then knockout stages of the world cup by beating both Australia and Papua New Guinea in their first two league matches.