Skipper Yash Dhull hits century as India U-19 pile up mammoth 290/5 vs Australia
Osbourn, Feb 2: Skipper Yash Dhull gave a glimpse of his enormous talent with a superbly-crafted hundred while deputy Shaik Rasheed ideally complemented him with 94 as India scored a mammoth 290 for 5 against Australia in the second semi-final of the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Wednesday.
Dhull (110 off 110) was able to a complete a fine century but Rasheed (94 off 108) fell short of the mark by 6 runs as they added 204 runs for third wicket to pile up a score that might well be beyond Australia's reach.
He also became third Indian captain to hit a hundred in the tournament history after illustrious Virat Kohli and the prodigious Unmukt Chand, also hailing from Delhi.
India opted to put runs on the board after wining the toss, knowing it wasn't the easiest of pitches to bat on.
Australian pacers bowled well in the opening powerplay and the fact that Indian openers Angkrish Raghuvanshi (6 off 30) and Harnoor Singh (16 off 30) were also overtly defensive, helped them build pressure.
William Salzmann rocked Raghuvanshi's off-stump with a beauty that straightened after pitching.
Harnoor, who has not met the high expectations he set for himself, tried to pull a rising ball on leg stump from Tobia Snell only to glove it back to the wicketkeeper, leaving India at 37 for two in the 13th over.
India's two best batters, Dhull and Rasheed, then got together to lift the team out of a spot of bother.
Playing only their third game of the tournament after missing two due to COVID, Rasheed and Dhull showed maturity beyond their age to build the innings.
Dhull got a lot of runs square and behind the square with deft late-cuts off spinners being one of his pet shots.
Rasheed, whose first boundary was an aerial straight drive, ended up eight fours and a six.
The straight six he hit late in his innings off Jack Nisbet took him into the 90s. His punch shot through the cover off Salzmann was the most attractive shot he played.
The highly rated Dhull played another sublime knock. The pitch was on the slower side but he rotated the strike at ease before accelerating to pick boundaries at will, collecting 10 fours and a six in total.
He got to three figures with a two in the 45th over and next ball was a pull shot off Tom Whitney for the second six of the innings.
After Dhull's departure, Rasheed could not get to a deserving hundred after being caught at backward point off Nisbet.
Australia were sloppy in the field through the innings. Rasheed was dropped on 24 and missed an easy run out chance of Dhull who was batting on 74.
With two set batters gone in quick succession, the flow of the innings was slightly disrupted before Nishant Sindhu (12 not out off 10), Dinesh Bana (20 not out off 4 balls) and Rajvardhan Hangagekar (13 off 10) came up with the big shots in the death overs.
The last over from pacer Tom Whitney yielded as many as 27 runs including three sixes and two fours.
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Christmas decorations vandalised by VHP activists at school in Nalbari; Tension in area
Nalbari: Tension prevailed in the Panigaon area of Nalbari district on December 24 after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal allegedly entered the premises of St Mary’s School and vandalised materials prepared for Christmas celebrations.
According to local sources, activists of the VHP and Bajrang Dal entered the school campus ahead of Christmas and raised slogans inside the premises. It is alleged that Christmas-related decorations and materials kept within the school compound were damaged and set on fire.
Eyewitnesses said that members of the Bajrang Dal were the first to enter the campus, during which they allegedly raised slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “Jai Hindu Rashtra,” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” and burnt items prepared for Christmas celebrations. The incident created panic among local residents and led to concerns over law and order in the area. No injuries have been reported so far.
The incident comes amid reports of similar acts in Nalbari town in recent days, where Christmas decorations displayed at several commercial establishments were allegedly set on fire.
Reacting to the incident, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair said on social media that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists entered St Mary’s School on Christmas Eve, raised slogans and destroyed Christmas decorations. His post drew attention to the incident and sparked wider discussion online.
Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident. Further details are awaited.
On Christmas Eve, Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal goons entered St. Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari, chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hindu Rashtra.” They destroyed and set fire to all Christmas decorations prepared at the school. pic.twitter.com/LQHV7FWUvz
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 24, 2025
