Visakhapatnam, Sep 29: After their thumping win in the first game of the Quadrangular Under-19 series, the Indian colts defeated their Sri Lankan counterparts by one wicket in a thrilling low-scoring contest.

Sri Lanka U-19s could only muster a modest 184 for nine in their 50 overs after electing to bat first. The total was reached mainly due to Shehan Fernando’s 70- off 79 balls, which included 11 boundaries. Sandeep Sharma, the medium pacer from Punjab, did most of the damage with his four-wicket haul in nine overs for 38 runs.

The Indians made heavy weather of the chase right from the third over, when they lost opener Manan Vohra. Hanuman Vihari held one end up to play a particularly sedate knock of 51 from 107 balls. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end with no real partnerships being built by the top and middle-order batsmen. In the end, Vihari found an able partner in No. 9 batsman Rush Kalaria, who stuck in there for a valuable 47 off 88 deliveries. The two added 44 for the eighth wicket – the highest partnership of the innings. Unmukt Chand, who starred in the first game, against Australia U-19s, made 28 runs but failed to convert it to a significant score.

For the Lankans, off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal bagged four wickets for 26 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Sanitha de Mel and Lahiru Madushanka chipped in with two scalps each.

At the end of the fourth game, the Indian colts lead the tournament with two wins from as many matches. The Sri Lanka and Australia U-19 teams have a win each from two games while West Indies are yet to open their account after playing one game.

Brief Score:India U-19s 185-9 (Hanuman Vihari 51, Tharindu Kaushal 4/26) beat Sri Lanka U-19s 184-9 (Shehan Fernando 70, Sandeep Sharma 4/38) by one wicket.