Yash Dhull, 4 others available for India’s quarter-final against Bangladesh in U19 World Cup 2022; Nishant Sindhu tests positive

In some good news for the Indian team ahead of their U19 World Cup 2022 quarter-final clash against Bangladesh, skipper Yash Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed will be available for the key match.

Apart from Dhull and Rasheed, the three other players who were sent into isolation, Manav Parakh, Siddarth Yadav and Aaradhya Yadav, will also be available for selection. All the players have tested negative for COVID-19.

However, in some mixed fortunes for the Indian camp, Nishant Sindhu, the stand-in skipper for India’s last two matches in the U19 World Cup 2022, has tested positive for COVID-19. He has thus been placed in isolation.

An official with the India U19 squad was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times about the five players who have been cleared to play in Saturday’s clash:

“They have been given the green signal medically. They joined the team on Friday for training.”

The official also confirmed the news about Sindhu and added:

“He tested positive after the final group game against Uganda. He is in quarantine and ruled out of the Bangladesh game.”

Despite missing their key players due to COVID-19 chaos in the camp, India won all three of their group matches with ease. They defeated South Africa by 45 runs, Ireland by 174 runs and Uganda by 326 runs.

S Sharath, chairman of the junior selection committee, hailed the team for their performance and said:

“In the knockout stages, you need some luck and fit players on the park. It is not easy for those who have come out of Covid. We have to give it to the boys for the way they have played so far.”

India will go into the U19 World Cup quarter-final against Bangladesh in Antigua high on confidence, having defeated them by 103 runs in the semi-finals of the U19 Asia Cup last month in Sharjah.

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What happened when India and Bangladesh last met in the U19 World Cup?

India and Bangladesh previously met in the 2020 U19 World Cup final in Potchefstroom. Bangladesh stunned favorites India by three wickets in a tense final that saw some altercation between the players.

India batted first and posted only 177 despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 88. For Bangladesh, skipper Akbar Ali guided his team home with a defiant 43* off 77 balls.