It was on this very day in 2018, a combined bowling performance, followed by Manjot Kalra's superb unbeaten 101 helped India thump Australia by eight wickets to lift their fourth ICC Under-19 World Cup title at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Chasing 217, Kalra crafted his innings beautifully and was ably supported by Harvik Desai (47*), Shubman Gill (31) and Prithvi Shaw (29) as India crossed the finish line in just 38.5 overs.
After Shaw and Kalra added 71 runs for the opening wicket, Gill came out with an aggressive approach and looked flawless during his knock. While both Shaw and Gill couldn't carry on, Kalra batted till the end and shared an unbeaten 89-run stand with wicketkeeper-batsman Desai.
🏆🏆🏆🏆The moment India won a record fourth Under 19 World Cup, on this day last year! pic.twitter.com/KWQQF8QXRI— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 3, 2019
In the end, Kalra finished with eight fours and three sixes. It was only fitting that he reached the three figures in the last over of the final. Desai hit the winning boundary, sending the team members and the packed crowd into frenzy.
Earlier, the likes of Shivam Mavi, Ishan Porel, Shiva Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Anukul Roy showed tremendous discipline and kept picking wickets at regular intervals. Jonathan Merlo top scored with 76, but a total of 216 was never going to be enough for India.
With a fourth crown, India surpassed Australia in the race of most U-19 World Cup titles. Prior to the final, India and Australia were locked at three titles each. India's previous title came in Australia six years ago when the Unmukt Chand-led team beat the hosts in the final. The Virat Kohli-led side was victorious in 2008 and Mohammed Kaif was captain when India triumphed way back in 2000.
India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and the gulf between them and other teams was clearly evident. The likes of Shaw and Gill have already featured in a couple of international encounters, while the rest have been doing wonders for their respective state teams.