Catches win you matches, they say. But not today. The South Africans took blinders while the Indians fielded as if they had been blindfolded. India gave their worst batting display while the South Africans, for most part of the day, were an inspired unit. India got to play the full 50 overs but South Africa got just half of them. Did someone say that cricket was a funny game? The teary South Africans would have begged to differ.

In a rain-interrupted final match, India beat South Africa by 12 runs to win their second under-19 World Cup. South Africa can blame it on a host of factors but there’s no denying that at the end, the best team in the tournament was holding the silverware.

Batting first, India were 83/4 with all their batting stars Taruwar Kohli, Tanmay Srivastava and Virat Kohli back in the pavilion. When they took the field, Virat and Pradeep Sangwan dropped catches while wicket-keeper Shreevats Goswami, who had a terrific tournament so far, lived a nightmare, missing five chances. Compare that to the South African effort. The tournament’s Jonty Junior Sibrand Engelbrecht held two spectacular catches to dismiss Virat and Tanmay and saved at least 30 runs while fielding at point. Two run outs, several close calls saw India being dismissed for a mere 159.

As skipper Kohli said after the game, it was the bowlers who rose to the occasion. “All through the tournament the batsmen have been the match-winners. Today, the bowlers complemented our efforts. And that’s what makes us a champion side,” he said.

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