3 striking similarities between India's campaigns at 2023 World Cup and U-19 World Cup 2024

India went down to Australia by 79 runs in the ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup 2024 final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday, February 11. With the latest triumph, the Aussies continued their dominance over the Men in Blue in the ICC finals. The senior men’s side had earlier beaten India in the 2023 World Test Championship final as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

Speaking of Sunday’s U-19 World Cup summit clash, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. They put up a competitive 253/7 on the board in their 50 overs as Harjas Singh top-scored with 55 off 64 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes. Good contributions also came from skipper Hugh Weibgen (48 off 66), opener Harry Dixon (42 off 56) and Oliver Peake (46* off 43).

For India, Raj Limbani starred with 3/38 in his 10 overs, while Naman Tiwari picked up 2/63. Saumy Pandey and Musheer Khan claimed one scalp each. Chasing 254, India managed only 174 in 43.5 overs as Australia registered a thumping win. Mahli Beardman and Raf MacMillan claimed three wickets each for the Aussies, while Callum Vidler also impressed with 2/35.

Incidentally, there were a few striking similarities between India's campaigns at the 2023 World Cup and the U-19 World Cup 2024. Take a look.

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#1 India's unbeaten streak ended in the final against Australia

India team celebrates a wicket in the 2024 U-19 World Cup final. (Pic: Getty Images)

India were unbeaten heading into the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as the summit clash of the U-19 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue won all nine of their matches in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup, registering impressive wins over Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

They came up against the Kiwis again in the semi-final and registered a 70-run win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to book their place in the final. In the mega finale that was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, hosts India began as favorites. However, they succumbed to the pressure of the big occasion again, going down by six wickets.

As mentioned earlier, India were undefeated heading into the U-19 World Cup 2024 final against Australia as well. They registered crushing wins over Bangladesh, Ireland, and the United States in the group stage. The Men in Blue then cruised through the Super Six stage, beating New Zealand by 214 runs and Nepal by 132 runs.

South Africa gave India a scare in the first semi-final. Chasing 245, they lost four wickets for 32 runs but recovered to clinch a close two-wicket win. Like the senior men’s team, though, the U-19 side also came second best to Australia in the final.

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#2 Indian batters were the top two run-getters

Uday Saharan scored 397 runs in seven innings. (Pic: Getty Images)

While India finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as the U-19 World Cup 2024, their batters were the top two leading run-getters in both competitions.

Looking at the 2023 ODI World Cup first, Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32, with three hundreds and six fifties. Team India captain Rohit Sharma finished second on the list, totaling 597 runs from 11 innings, with one century and three half-centuries.

In the 2024 U-19 World Cup, Indian captain Uday Saharan finished as the leading run-getter, with 397 runs in seven innings at an average of 56.71. Like Rohit, he struck one hundred and three fifties.

Musheer Khan was second among the highest run-scorers in the competition. In seven innings, he totaled 360 runs at an average of 60. Musheer contributed two tons and one half-century.

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#3 India’s strong batting line-up let them down in both finals

It was the same old story in another ICC final for India. (Pic: Getty Images)

India’s batting was brilliant in both the ICC events, but could not deliver on the day that mattered the most. The Men in Blue were asked to bat by the Aussies in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad and only managed to put up 240 on the board.

Rohit (47 off 31) and Kohli (54 off 63) got starts, but could not convert those into big ones. KL Rahul scored 66, but it came off 107 balls. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja were dismissed for single-figure scores, while Suryakumar Yadav struggled during his 28-ball 18.

In the U-19 World Cup final, India’s batting fell apart. The three in-form batters - Musheer, Saharan, and Sachin Dhas - combined to contribute only 39 runs. Opener Arshin Kulkarni was out for three, Priyanshu Moliya fell for nine, and keeper Aravelly Avanish for a duck.

Adarsh Singh (47) and Murugan Abhishek (42) offered some resistance, but India fell way short of the target in the end.