Century from Jurel and a gritty 70 by Varma guide India to a fighting total of 259/7 in the finals of the U19 Quadrangular Series

Wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Jurel hit a brilliant 101 before left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar scalped four wickets to help India beat South Africa by 69 runs and lift the Quadrangular U-19 Series title at Kingsmead, Durban on Thursday.

Jurel hit 101 off 115 balls with the help of eight boundaries and two sixes, while Tilak Varma struck 70 off 103 deliveries (7x4s, 1x6), helping India post a competitive 259/7

After being put to bat first, India U19 lost 3 wickets for 13 runs in 6.1 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Divyaansh Saxena and skipper Priyam Garg all departed early, leaving the tourists in a spot of bother.

Jurel and Varma then steadied India’s innings with a 164-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which guided India to a fighting total. Siddhesh Veer also made a significant contribution with the bat, as he remained unbeaten on 48 runs.

South Africa’s chase never got going as the Indian bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals and did not let the hosts build up any vital partnerships.

Jack Lees (52) top scored for the hosts.

Brief Scores:

India U-19: 259 for 7 in 50 overs (Dhruv Jurel 101, Tilak Varma 70; Gerald Coetzee 3/19) beat South Africa U-19: 190 all out in 43.1 overs (Jack Lees 52, Jonathan Bird 39; Atharva Ankolekar 4/31) by 69 runs.