India 84/1 (Trisha 44, Chalke 26, Reyneke 1-14) beat South Africa 82 all out (van Voorst 23, Trisha 3-15, Sisodia 2-6, Shukla 2-9) by nine wickets**
India’s spinners once again showcased their brilliance, leading the team to their second consecutive ICC Under-19 T20 World Cup title. Aayushi Shukla, G Trisha, Vaishnavi Sharma, and Parunika Sisodia combined to take nine wickets, restricting South Africa to a modest 82. Trisha then delivered with the bat as well, guiding India to victory in just 11.2 overs at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, leaving South Africa heartbroken.
After South African captain Kayla Reyneke opted to bat, the team started with promise as Jemma Botha struck two boundaries in the opening over off VJ Joshitha. However, India struck back swiftly. In the second over, Sisodia bowled Simone Lourens for a duck, as the ball deflected off her pads onto the stumps.
India quickly tightened their grip on the game. Botha, South Africa’s top scorer of the tournament, showed her class with a straight drive for four off Joshitha. But the introduction of Shabnam Shakil in the fourth over changed the momentum, as wicketkeeper G Kamalini pulled off a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Botha.
India’s dominance continued as left-arm spinner Shukla struck with her first ball, bowling Diara Ramlakan for 3. By the end of the powerplay, South Africa were struggling at 29/3. The spin stranglehold only tightened, as runs dried up in the middle overs. Between the 7th and 14th overs, South Africa failed to score a single boundary, losing two more wickets in the process—Reyneke fell to Trisha for 7, while Shukla bowled Karabo Meso.
Mieke van Voorst, South Africa’s top scorer in the match, finally broke the pressure with the first boundary in 56 balls. She added a couple more, but Trisha’s double strike in the 18th over derailed the innings once again, dismissing both van Voorst and Seshnie Naidu.
Fay Cowling managed the only six of the match, but Vaishnavi Sharma bounced back immediately, cleaning up Cowling and Monalisa Legodi in the same over. Sisodia wrapped up the innings by dismissing Ashleigh van Wyk off the final ball, as South Africa collapsed, losing five wickets in 14 balls to be bowled out for 82. India’s sharp fielding added to their dominance, with only one tough return catch dropped by Trisha.
Chasing 83, India wasted no time. Trisha set the tone, smashing three boundaries in her first five balls. She took on legspinner Naidu in the fourth over, hitting three more fours. Reyneke managed to break the opening stand by dismissing Kamalini, but India remained relentless. Sanika Chalke joined Trisha and elegantly drove through covers for four, as India raced past the halfway mark inside the powerplay.
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Trisha survived a chance on 38 in the 10th over, but by then, India were in complete control. Needing just 16 more runs, Chalke sealed the victory in the 12th over with a boundary. Trisha finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 309 runs and was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, capping off a stellar campaign.
India’s dominant all-round performance reaffirmed their supremacy in Under-19 cricket, securing a historic back-to-back World Cup triumph.
