They were looked at as one of the top contenders to lift the title at the start of the U19 World Cup 2020, with all departments well covered. Their unbeaten run to the final had a bit of both: flair and the ‘never give up’ spirit in challenging situations. Here are the four key highlights that summed up their impressive run:

Yashasvi Jaiswal: the run machine

400 runs @ 133.33, HS: 105*, SR: 82.47, 4 50s, 1 100

For those who knew about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inspirational journey to the India U19 World Cup squad, his returns in the competition wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. After all, he’d shown his immense appetite for runs and the ability to score big by registering a double ton in his first-ever List A tournament.

When Bangladesh’s openers threatened to take the game away with a 50-run stand during their chase in the final, Bishnoi weaved his magic, bagging four quick wickets to reduce the opponents to 65-4. The key feature of his approach was his body language that was visibly intense and aggressive, normally attributed to a fast bowler clocking above 140kph. In some ways, it was reminiscent of a certain aggressive leg-spinner from the recent past, who began his journey in the same competition more than two decades ago, and went on to pick 293 international wickets for South Africa.

The ruthless intent and the persistent fight

India’s approach was relentless in the competition and they streamrolled their opponents in four of the six games. When the going got tough on two other occasions, Priyam Garg and his men were up with a fight with an ever-positive mindset. In the quarter-final against Australia, they had slipped to 144-6 in the 38th over, before Atharva Ankolekar’s unbeaten 55 and Bishnoi’s 30 got them to a decent score of 233-9.

That recovery, in a way, could’ve demoralised their opponents, who slipped to 4-3, and subsequently 68-5, in the chase. A sixth-wicket stand between Sam Fanning and Liam Scott threatened to take the game away, but once that was breached, it took India a little more than three overs to clean up the tail.

They didn’t have the luxury of a big score in the final, but their perseverance kept them in the hunt throughout. The skipper couldn’t be more proud.

“The boys put up a great show, but the results didn’t go our way,” Garg said after the final. “Even with such a low total, we made it difficult for them, and I would like to thank my team for that. Our bowlers responded pretty well and Bangladesh batted well. Very pleased with our bowlers. It’s a good experience playing here in South Africa.”