India U19 Tighten Grip on Youth Test Against England

Beckenham: India U19 extended their dominance on Day 3 of the four-day Youth Test against England U19, reaching 128 for 3 in their second innings and stretching their overall lead to 229 runs at Beckenham.

A brisk 56 off 44 balls from Vaibhav Suryavanshi set the tone for India’s second innings after England had closed the gap in the first innings. Suryavanshi, along with skipper Ayush Mhatre, gave India a flying start, adding 77 runs in just 12 overs. However, both were dismissed by off-spinner Archie Vaughan — son of former England captain Michael Vaughan — who returned impressive figures of 3 for 14 in 10 overs.

Vihaan Malhotra (34*) and Abhigyan Kundu (0*) were at the crease at stumps.

Earlier in the day, England U19 resumed from an overnight 230/5 and posted 439, reducing India’s first-innings lead to 101. The hosts were propelled by lower-order contributions from Ekansh Singh (59), Ralphie Albert (50), Thomas Rew (34), Jack Home (44), and James Minto (20). Rew and Ekansh stitched a vital 80-run partnership for the sixth wicket, while Home and Minto added 48 for the ninth.

With a solid lead and two days to play, India U19 hold the upper hand heading into Day 4.