Captain Raichandani Hits Unbeaten Ton as India U-19 Whitewash Australia

India U-19 completed a 3-0 series sweep over Australia U-19 with a dominant seven-wicket victory in the final Youth ODI, driven by an unbeaten century from captain Lakshya Raichandani.

1st Innings: Australia U-19 212 all out (46.3 overs)

Top-Order Collapse: Australia U-19 struggled early after opting to bat, slipping to 45/3 under tight opening spells from Indian pacers Henil Patel and Hardik Raj.

Middle-Order Fightback: Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Turner compiled a patient 62, sharing a 78-run stand with all-rounder Christian Howe (41) to rebuild the innings.

Spinners Stifle the Tail: Left-arm spinner Chetan Sharma (3/38) and off-spinner Naman Pushpak (2/31) ripped through the middle and lower order, triggering a collapse of 5 wickets for just 34 runs to bowl Australia out for 212.

2nd Innings: India U-19 216/3 (42.1 overs)

Solid Opening Stand: India got off to a steady start as openers Vihaan Malhotra (38) and Rudra Patel (28) put together a 64-run partnership to neutralize the new ball.

Captain’s Knock: Coming in at No. 3, skipper Lakshya Raichandani took complete control of the chase. He anchored the innings with a majestic, unbeaten 110 off 118 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and two towering sixes.

Easy Finish: Raichandani anchored key partnerships with middle-order batter Abhigyan Kundu (29*) to comfortably steer India U-19 past the target with nearly eight overs to spare.

Brief Scorecard

Australia U-19: 212 all out in 46.3 overs (Alex Turner 62, Christian Howe 41; Chetan Sharma 3/38, Naman Pushpak 2/31) | India U-19: 216/3 in 42.1 overs (Lakshya Raichandani 110, Vihaan Malhotra 38; Aidan O'Connor 2/45)* | Result: India U-19 won by 7 wickets (Series: India U-19 win 3–0).