Twitter erupted as India registered a cruising 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the semifinal of the U19 World Cup.
Yashasvi Jaiswal batted like a man among boys while Kartik Tyagi reminded Pakistan of Waqar Younis' toe-crushing yorkers as defending champions India walloped their arch-rivals by 10 wickets to enter their seventh ICC U-19 World Cup final here on Tuesday.
The gulf in class between the two sides was evident as Indian bowlers collectively choked Pakistan to a paltry 172 in 43.1 overs. Left-handed opener Jaiswal then showed his class with an unbeaten knock of 105 off 113 balls, with an equally graceful Divyansh Saxena (59 not out off 99 balls) supporting him in an easy chase completed in only 35.2 overs.
"It's a dream come true for me. To be able to do this for my country is a great feeling. To score a hundred against Pakistan in a World Cup semi-final is something I can't put into words," Jaiswal, who hit eight fours and four sixes, said after winning the 'Player of the Match' award.
India thus maintained their supremacy over Pakistan at the age-group and senior level in ICC tournaments -- both men and women.
The 'Boys in Blue' have earlier reached the summit clash in 2000 (winners), 2006 (runners-up), 2008 (winners), 2012 (winners), 2016 (runners-up) and 2018 (winners).
The current batch with key players, having already played senior representative cricket and five with IPL deals in their bag, showed the difference in skill level and application from their opponents, an aspect that could be attributed to the robust junior cricket structure put in place by none other than Rahul Dravid.
Jaiswal literally toyed with the bowling attack, hitting the Pakistani bowlers towards all parts of the ground. The youngest Indian double centurion in List A cricket finished the game with a six, which also completed his hundred.
Here's how Twitter reacted:
