Bloemfontein (South Africa): Opener Arshin Kulkarni slammed a stroke-filled century while Musheer Khan continued his good run to help India pile on 326 for five against USA in the U-19 World Cup here on Sunday. Invited to bat, defending champions India expectedly dominated with the bat but lost a bit of steam towards the the fag end of the innings as USA bowlers chipped away wickets at regular intervals.
While the left-handed Arshin scored 108, his 118-run knock peppered with eight hits to the fence and three maximums, Musheer slammed 73 off 76 balls. The 18-year-old, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, stitched a vital 155-run partnership with Arshin. Though Musheer, the most consistent batter in the India side, departed after hitting six boundaries and a lone six, Arshin kept going at his end, anchoring the Indian innings.
Dropped on 16 in the 14th over, he brought up his century in style, flicking the ball through short fine leg for a boundary much to the delight of his parents who were cheering their son from from the stands. Spinner Rishi Ramesh managed to get USA back into the contest by dismissing Musheer, who was looking to clear the cover fielder but instead edged to short third in the 36th over.
A few overs later USA struck in quick succession, getting rid of skipper Uday Sharan (35 off 27) and set batter Arshin within the span of six balls. Both batters were looking to accelerate. Sharan fell to a delivery by Arya Garg, Ateendra Subramanian got the prized wicket of Arshin, who slapped a short and slow ball straight to the fielder at long-off. Cameos by Sachin Dhas (20), Priyanshu Moliya (27 not out) and Aravelly Avanish 12 not out took India over the 300-run mark.
Brief Score: India: 326 for 5 in 50 overs (Arshin Kulkarni 108, Musheer Khan 73; Ateendra Subramanian 2/45)
