Sri Lanka Under: An unbeaten century from Kushagra Ojha, along with half-centuries from skipper Yashbardhan Chauhan and Manal Chauhan, helped India Under-19 recover from a disastrous start to reach a commanding 253/3 in 85 overs against Sri Lanka Under-19 on the opening day of the second Youth Test here on Monday.
Electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka Under-19 enjoyed early success by reducing the visitors to a precarious 0/2 within the first six overs. New-ball bowlers Sethmika Seneviratne and Gimhan Mendis removed Indian openers Lakshya Raichandani and Sagar Virk respectively, without troubling the scorers.
But a 122-run third-wicket partnership between Ojha and skipper Yashbardhan rescued the visitors from the early jitters. Only 65 overs of play was possible on day one due to interruptions caused by rain and subsequent bad light.
At stumps, Ojha was unbeaten on a well-compiled 103, while Manal remained unconquered on 55, as the duo stitched an unbroken 131-run stand for the fourth wicket to put India U19 in the driver's seat.
Earlier, India got their first runs off the bat only in the eighth over when Yashbardhan got off the mark. While Ojha anchored the innings with a patient approach, the skipper took the counter-attacking route, reaching his half-century off just 51 balls in the 21st over.
At stumps, Ojha was unbeaten on a well-compiled 103, while Manal remained unconquered on 55, as the duo stitched an unbroken 131-run stand for the fourth wicket to put India U19 in the driver's seat.
Also Read: Live Cricket Score
Brief Scores: India Under-19 253/3 in 65 overs (Kushagra Ojha 103 not out, Yashbardhan Chauhan 78; Gimhan Mendis 2-42, Sethmika Seneviratne 1-46) against Sri Lanka Under-19