India face Namibia in quarters

Fatullah, February 5

India will take on an unpredictable Namibia in the quarterfinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup here tomorrow.

India went about their job in clinical fashion beating Ireland, New Zealand and Nepal by big margins in the Group D.

However, India can not afford to take their quarterfinal opponents lightly as Namibia head into the knockout phase after showing the exit door to defending champions South Africa. In the other matches, the African nation got the better of Scotland before losing their final league game against Bangladesh to finish second in Group A behind the hosts.

On paper, India possess a formidable unit and should have little difficulty in getting past Namibia. India captain Ishan Kishan would be pleased to get some runs under his belt in the last game against Nepal after failing in the previous two innings.

The opposition will have to worry about Sarfaraz Khan, who goes into game at the back of two fifties in three games. Madhya Pradesh-born pacer Avesh Khan has been the standout bowler for India with nine wickets.

Namibians, on the other hand, have nothing to lose tomorrow. They can go out and play fearless cricket against their fancied opponents.

Brief scores: Nepal: 211/9 in 50 overs (R Rijal 72, M Saifuddin 2/38); Bangladesh: 215/4 in 48.2 overs (Z Hasan 75, MH Miraz 55, S Dhamala 2/33). — PTI