India beat Sri Lanka by 76 runs in a fifth-place playoff semi-final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at the ICC Academy here Monday.
After being put in to bat, India scored 291/7 in their quota of 50 overs and bowled our neighbours Sri Lanka for 215 in 48.1 overs. Defending champions India lost their quarter-final to England Saturday and are now playing for 5-8 position.
The India colts put up a big total with the help of in-form all-rounder Deepak Hooda who top scored with an unbeaten 76 lower down the batting order. Hooda hit four sixes and seven fours in his 56-ball knock. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer (59) and captain Sanju Samson (40) also played decent knocks to give India a good start.
Kerala youngster Samson was leading the Indian outfit after regular skipper Vijay Zol was suspended for a match for using obscene language/gesture in the last-eight clash against England.
Anuk Fernando, Hashen Ramanayake and A.K. Tyronne took two wickets each for the Sri Lankans.
The Indian bowlers were in their elements, regularly picking wickets and bowling out Sri Lanka. Opener and wicketkeeper-batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama top scored with 58, making the only half century of the Sri Lankan innings.
Off-break bowler Hooda also shone with the ball, clinching three wickets from his 10 overs, giving away only 31 runs. Pacer Chama Milind (2/29), debutant Karan Kaila (2/39) and chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (2/54) also assisted man of the match Hooda to regularly take wickets.
