India U19 batter Harvansh Singh Pangalia scored an imperious century in a warm-up match against England on Tuesday (June 24).
India's men's U19 side are currently in England, as are the men's and women's senior teams (India A have returned). They will take on their English counterparts for a series of five Youth ODIs and two Youth Tests, starting from June 27.
On Tuesday (June 24), the tourists took on an invitational XI in a 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough. As is customary in most warm-ups, teams could involve all squad members, but with only eleven players each allowed to bat and field.
The hosts elected to field first, and India's batting was led by Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made significant impressions in the IPL earlier this year. The pair only managed 18 runs between them as they departed in the second and fifth overs respectively. India scored quickly, but slipped to 91-5 in the 13th over, before Kanishk Chouhan (79) and Rahul Kumar (73) put on 140 in 112 balls.
Harvansh Singh Pangalia smashes 52-ball century for India U19
At 251-7 in the 36th over, Harvansh Singh Pangalia came out to join RS Ambrish. The pair put on 126, Ambrish dominating the stand with a contribution of 67 before departing for 72 off 47 balls. Pangalia was on 47 off 33 at the time, and completed his half-century with a boundary off the next ball he faced.
In the last three overs of the innings, Pangalia put England's bowlers to the sword. He started the 48th over with consecutive sixes off Manny Lumsden, before the bowler sent down two no-balls in a row. Another six off Matthew Firbank came in the following over, and in the final over Pangalia hit Lumsden for four, six, six, six to finish the innings. The last six brought up his century, off 52 balls – his second fifty came off just 18 deliveries. India's total was 442-9.
Pangalia hit nine sixes in all, peppering the leg-side boundary in particular. The wicketkeeper, who represents the Saurashtra youth team in domestic cricket, also caught the eye last October with a similarly belligerent century in a Youth Test against Australia. On that occasion, he hit seven fours and six sixes in his 117.
India ended up winning this match comfortably, bowling England out for 211 despite captain and opener Will Bennison's 103. The visitors' runs in boundaries alone (37 fours, 25 sixes) added up to 298.
Image credit: ECB / nvplay
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