U19 World Cup: India hammer Uganda to top group, face Bangladesh in quarters
Tarouba (Trinidad) (PTI): Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Raj Bawa smashed centuries as four-time champions India recorded a thumping 326-run win over minnows Uganda to top Group B in the U19 World Cup here.
The victory on Saturday was India's largest win in tournament history.
The Hrishikesh Kanitkar-coached side thus ended the league stage with three wins in as many games, having earlier thrashed South Africa U19 (by 45 runs) and Ireland U19 (by 174 runs).
Put into bat at the picturesque Brian Lara stadium, India colts first rode on hundreds from Bawa (162 not out off 108 balls) and opener Raghuvanshi (144 off 120 balls) to post a mammoth 405/5, the highest total in this edition.
They then bundled out the opposition for a meager 79 in 19.4 overs to eke out an easy win in a lop-sided affair.
India play their quarterfinals against Bangladesh on January 29, allowing their COVID-19 infected players including skipper Yash Dhull enough time to recover.
Raghuvanshi and Bawa shared 206 runs for the third wicket to take the game away from Uganda.
It was raining boundaries and sixes as Raghuvanshi hit 22 fours and four sixes, while Bawa, who came in at number four, decorated his innings with 14 fours and as many as eight hits over the fence.
After Raghuvanshi's departure in the 38th over, Bawa continued with his attacking instinct and clobbered the Uganda bowlers to all parts of the ground.
It was a one-way traffic as the Uganda bowlers had no answers to the Indian onslaught and for the East African side.
Skipper Pascal Murungi picked up three wickets for 72 runs, even as all others were brutally taken to task.
Courtesy the hitting, India recorded their second highest score in the history of U-19 World Cup. For the record, India's highest score in the competition remains the 425 for three set against Scotland in 2004, while Australia hold the world record score of 480 for six against Kenya in 2002.
Bawa's unbeaten 162 is now the highest individual score by an Indian in the U19 World Cup as he surpassed flamboyant opener Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 155 against Scotland in 2004.
Chasing an insurmountable 406, Uganda were teetering at 17/3 as one-down wicket-keeper Cyrus Kakuru (0), Brian Asaba (5) and Ronald Lutayaa (5) fell cheaply inside first four overs after opener Issac Ategeka (0) was retired out.
While inform pacer Rajvadhan Hangargekar (2/8) accounted for Kakuru's and Asaba's wickets, right-arm medium pacer Vasu Vats (1/18) removed Lutayaa, who was caught by Nishant Sindhu.
Stand-in-skipper Sindhu (4/19), himself a left-arm spinner, then castled Ronald Opio (11), to take his first, as Uganda lost their fourth wicket for 46.
Rival skipper Murungi (34 off 45 balls; 7x4) only delayed the inevitable as the writing on the wall was clear for Uganda, who always had an uphill task.
Brief Scores: India U19 405 for 5 in 50 overs (Raj Bawa 162 not out, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 144; Pascal Murungi 3/72) beat Uganda U19 79 in 19.4 overs (Pascal Murungi 34; Nishant Sindhu 4/19, Rajvardhan Hangargekar 2/8) by 326 runs.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
