Young Indian Cricketer Shines with Unbeaten Double Century Against Australia

Rajkot, September 28 (Daily Kiran) : India’s Under-19 cricket team has established a strong position in the first match of the unofficial Test series against Australia at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. On the second day of the four-day match, the hosts scored 430 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their first innings, bolstered by a remarkable double century from 17-year-old Lakshya Raichandani. This gives the Indian team a substantial lead of 213 runs.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Australian team struggled, managing only 217 runs in their first innings. They lost three wickets for just 27 runs before Blake Kettle and Jed Hallik formed a fourth-wicket partnership, adding 147 runs to lift the total to 174. However, once that partnership was broken, wickets fell rapidly.

Kettle scored 102 runs off 198 balls, hitting 14 boundaries, while Hallik contributed 59 runs with seven fours. In addition, Eli Breen remained not out with 25 runs. For India, Ishaan Om was the standout bowler, claiming five wickets for 53 runs, while Mohit Ulwa took three wickets. Captain Yashvardhan Chauhan also chipped in with two wickets.

In response, India’s Under-19 team faced 92 overs, ending the day with 430 runs on the board. Lakshya Raichandani laid the foundation for the innings, sharing partnerships of 23 runs each with Sagar Virk (11) and Kushagra Ojha (13) to reach a score of 46.

Raichandani then built a significant partnership of 129 runs with captain Yashvardhan (54), taking the total to 170. However, in the 40th over, both Yashvardhan and Manal Chauhan (0) were dismissed in quick succession.

Following their dismissals, Lakshya continued to excel, adding 45 runs with Manav Krishna (25) for the sixth wicket and 51 runs with Ayaan Akram (26) to push the score past 250. After Ishaan Om fell for 7, Lakshya formed an unbroken partnership of 137 runs for the ninth wicket with Mohit Ulwa, propelling the team to 430.

From the Australian side, KC Barton took the most wickets, claiming three, while Spencer Green and Connor Gregory each took two wickets. Eli Breen also contributed with one wicket.