U19 World Cup: 3 players to watch out for in India vs Australia semi-final

The 2022 edition of the U19 World Cup has been a treat to watch for the fans. Quite a few players have lit up the stage with impeccable performances throughout the tournament. India and Australia are meeting each other for the third time in a U19 World Cup knockout match on Wednesday.

In both prior encounters (2018 finals & 2020 quarter-finals), India ended up on the winning side. The winner of today's match goes through to the final against England while the losing side will play a third-place playoff match against Afghanistan.

The Coolidge pitch is expected to suit both the spinners and pacers. India have won all five of their matches coming into the semi-finals while Australia have won all but one. They lost to a Sri Lankan side with quality spin bowling, something Team India will keep in mind coming into this match.

Here are three players to watch out for in this all-important semi-final.

#3 Rajvardhan Hangargekar

Young fast-bowling sensation Rajvardhan Hangargekar has been the talk of the town. He has picked up five wickets in four U19 World Cup games at an average of 16.4, conceding 3.25 runs per over.

Hangargekar has also set a base price of 30 lakhs for himself at the IPL mega-auction after these performances. He gets the new ball to move early on in the innings with immense control and has picked up a wicket every 30 balls.

His best bowling performance came against Uganda U19 when he returned with figures of 2/8 in 3.1 overs. Hangargekar removed the top-order batters in no time while defending 405.

In addition to his bowling skills, Hangargekar is also a more than handy lower-order batsman. He was brilliant with the bat against Ireland U19 in the group stage match. Hangargekar came in to bat at No. 5 as a pinch hitter, scoring 39* off just 17 deliveries.

#2 Cooper Connolly

Australian captain Cooper Connolly is a spin-bowling all-rounder. He has scored 70 runs in 4 innings at an average of 17.50 and a strike rate of 84.33. However, these numbers are deceptive at face value. Connolly has mostly walked in to bat at the death overs when quick runs are needed for the team.

His best batting performance came against Pakistan U19 in the quarter-finals of the U19 World Cup. During the match, Connolly scored 33 runs off just 25 deliveries. This helped Australia U19 gain momentum and put a good total on the scoreboard.

With the ball, Connolly has been one of the most economical bowlers in the competition. In 27 overs, the left-arm spinner has given away just 98 runs (3.62 runs per over) and picked up three wickets. All three wickets came against West Indies U19 when he returned with figures of 3/17 in 7 overs.

#1 Harnoor Singh

Harnoor Singh came into the tournament with a lot of hype due to his consistent performances at the Asia Cup and a tri-series involving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, Singh has failed to live up to the expectations. He has scored 104 runs in four matches at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 86.

Harnoor Singh's best performance of the tournament came against Ireland. He scored 88 runs off 101 deliveries and hit 12 fours. He also scored a hundred against Australia U19 although it was in the U19 World Cup warm-up fixture.

The youngster idolizes Shubman Gill, who was the Player of the Tournament at the 2018 U19 World Cup. He will be looking to step up for the team on the big stage just like his idol did four years ago against Pakistan.