Antigua: India Under-19 team beat England U19 by 4 wickets in the finals At Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua to clinch their 5th World Cup Title on Saturday. 

Despite an early wicket, Shaik Rasheed's half-century calmed early nerves before England made some steady inroads into the batting order. Nishant Sindhu then struck a crucial unbeaten 50, sharing an important stand with Raj Bawa, and at the end, it was Dinesh Bana, who smashed successive sixes to take India home with 14 balls to spare! 

Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, James Rew's wonderful 95 was the highlight of England's innings as pacers Raj Bawa (5/31) and Ravi Kumar (4/34) shone with the ball for India to take 9 wickets between them to bowl out the opposition for 189.  

Raj Bawa is named the Man of the Match for his 5/31 with the ball and 35 (from 54b, 2x4, 1x6). While Angkrish Raghuvanshi ended the tournament as India’s leading run-getter with 278 runs and Vicky Ostwal topped the bowling charts for the team with 12 wickets, every member of the squad put their hand up and delivered for the team whenever there was an opportunity.

Raj Bawa said, " Always feels special to contribute and win any game, but to do it in the final is a great feeling. I just wanted to execute the plans we discussed with the coach and captain in the meetings. I like both - batting and bowling". 

Tom Prest, Captain, England, said, "Choosing to bat first, we would have liked a better start. James Rew deserved a hundred. We have a strong bowling attack and taking a wicket in the first over got the mood up. But they batted really well and had a couple of great partnerships so credit to them. The experience has been amazing and we are very proud of our achievements". 

BCCI has announced 40 lacs rupees to each member of the under 19 team. 

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated the Indian cricket team for winning the ICC U19 World Cup.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said; "Extremely proud of our young cricketers. Congratulations to the Indian team for winning the ICC U19 World Cup. They have shown great fortitude through the tournament. Their stellar performance at the highest level shows that the future of Indian cricket is in safe and able hands."

Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, said, " I take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to our triumphant India Under-19 team. This has been a stupendous show by the Boys in Blue to win the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, 2022. The team displayed immense skill on the field and showed courage off it to overcome the COVID-19 outbreak. India is the most successful side in the history of U19 World Cups and the fifth title is a testament to the robust system and structure we have in place for our age-group cricketers. The Board takes age-group cricket very seriously and works closely to ensure we remain fluid with our approach to suit the demands of the team amidst the pandemic. The All-India Junior Selection Committee must be lauded for picking an all-round team with plenty of options. The team management led by Head Coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar deserves kudos and the presence of India great VVS Laxman made a big impact when the team was going through a crisis."