NEW DELHI: India colts produced a clinical performance to outclass Sri Lanka by 144 runs in the summit clash of the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup in Dhaka on Sunday. The victory gave India their sixth title in the continental tournament.

After batsmen set a competitive target of 305 runs, India bowlers bundled the Lankans out for 160 in 38.4 overs to reclaim the trophy. Left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi was the pick of India attack as he bamboozled Lankan batsmen to return figures of 6 for 38 in ten overs.

India won the first five U-19 Asia Cups, but they failed to reach the semi-finals in the last edition in 2017 which was held in Malaysia. They have come back stronger this time around to remain unbeaten in the entire tournament.

Sri Lanka's run chase began on the wrong foot as they lost skipper Nipun Dananjaya (12) early to pacer Mohit Jangra to be at 20/1 in 6.1 overs. Indian bowlers squeezed the run flow after that with some tight bowling.

Tyagi then gave India their second breakthrough when he dismissed Pasindu Sooriyabandara (31 off 32), who was scoring at a good clip, to reduce Sri Lanka to 66/2 in 15.3 overs.

Tyagi did not stop there and struck twice in quick times. First, he removed Kalana Perera for nought in his next over (18th), before sending Nuwanidu Fernando (4) back to the pavilion with Sri Lanka strugging at 79/4 in 19.2 overs.

The left-armer Tyagi continued to wreak havoc in the Lankan camp and dismissed Nishan M Fernando to reduce them to 104/5 in 23.5 overs. Fernando was holding the fort for his team till then, scoring 49 off 67 balls with the help of two sixes and a solitary four.

It was all downhill for Sri Lanka after that, and soon two wickets in two balls left them reeling at 127/7 after 32.1 overs. Siddharth Desai dismissed Dulith Wellalage (7) with the final ball of the 32nd over, before Nipun Malinga was run out without facing a ball while trying to steal a second run.

In the 34th over, Tyagi completed his five-wicket haul by scalping Sandun Mendis (1), before making Kalhara Senarathne's his sixth victim.

Desai took the final wicket to wrap up the Lankan innings, when he trapped Navod Paranavithana LBW. Paranavithana scored a handy 48 off 61 balls but failed to find a reliable partner at the other end.

Earlier, India top-order fired in unison and post a big total of 304 for 3 after opting to bat first.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (85) and Anuj Rawat (57) gave the former champions an ideal start by adding 121 runs for the first wicket in 25 overs. Both completed their respective half-centuries, before Rawat was out leg before to left-arm spinner Dulith Wellalage in the first ball of the 26th over. Rawat smacked three sixes and four boundaries for his 79-ball 57 knock.

Jaiswal was then joined by Devdutt Padikkal (31 off 43 balls) and the duo kept the momentum going with another solid stand of 59 runs in 12.2 overs.

India lost both Jaiswal and Padikkal in fairly quick successions and were at 194/3 in 40.5 overs. Jaiswal was trapped LBW by pacer Kalana Perera in the 38th over, after the India opener scored 85 off 113 balls with the help of a six and eight fours. While, Padikkal was clean bowled by off-spinner Senarathne in the 41st over.

Captain Simran Singh (65*) along with Ayush Badoni (52*) made sure that India finished off their innings in style, adding an unbeaten 110 runs in just 9.1 overs and took the score over 300-run mark. They capitalised on the solid platform set by the top-three batsmen and launched the attack from the word go.

Singh smashed four sixes and three fours for his 37-ball 65 knock, whereas Badoni scored a quick-fire 52 off just 28 balls, which included five hits over the ropes and two fours.

Brief Scores: India 304/3 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 85; Kalhara Senarathne 1/45) beat Sri Lanka 160 in 38.4 overs (Nishan M Fernando 49; Harsh Tyagi 6/38) by 144 runs

RAJKOT: Prithvi Shaw lived up to expectations with a classy Test century on his India debut, but former players feel the teenage sensation should tighten up his technique for tougher challenges away from home and that his past achievements count for nothing at the highest level.

ALSO READ: Prithvi Shaw sixth Indian to win man-of-the-match on Test debut

Shaw batted like a seasoned pro to hit a sublime hundred in the series opener against the West Indies, becoming the youngest Indian to reach three-figure score on Test debut. He did not face the best of attacks, but it was still a special knock that promises a great career.

"You may want to tighten up a bit but radical changes in your techniques are not advisable," said former India opener Aakash Chopra about Shaw. "He has got to be a little careful off the back foot. The punches that he likes to hit could be slightly risky if the ball is moving laterally. We will have to assume that he will learn with time. What he has done in the past counts for nothing. He will eventually be judged by what he does at the highest level."

Shaw's punches off the back foot reminded former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper of the good old Caribbean flair; but he feels Shaw's aggressive style with the existing technique makes the 18-year-old vulnerable for sterner tests overseas, starting with the tour of Australia next month.

"He seems to be a great talent but tends to play away from the body. Clearly, he likes to be on the back foot and play square off the wicket. It worked here (in Rajkot) but with so much gap between the bat and body, he could face issues in England and Australia," Hooper, a veteran of 102 Tests, said.

Chopra, however, felt nothing can be taken away from Shaw in his debut century, albeit it came against a pedestrian West Indies attack on a batting-friendly track in Rajkot.

"What we have just seen is perhaps a trailer of the things to come. It looks very promising. You cannot grudge about the opposition and pitch was flat. But he will be tested (overseas) and I am sure he is aware of it. We will get to know whether he can weather the storm and what all he needs to do," said Chopra, who played 10 Tests for India.

"Currently, there are a couple of things. I am pretty sure he is working on that. One was his trigger movement, which is already looking different to (what) we saw in the IPL. I am not too worried. He has got a great start," Chopra said.

"People will have faith and he will get a slightly extended run. God forbid even if Australia does not end up being the best of tours for him, you have to bear in mind that lot of players went there the first time and did not really set the world on fire."

He said Shaw might have to curb his aggression a bit while facing the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The ball will swing in Australia but not as much as England.

"There will be some swing as Kookaburra tends to move a lot early on. Hazlewood and Starc will be exploiting those conditions. See, you have to back yourself. Whatever took you to this level should make you successful at the highest level as well."

Someone who has tracked Shaw closely is Amol Muzumdar, a stalwart of Mumbai and owner of more than 11,000 first-class runs. The 43-year-old said one should not jump the gun but wait till Shaw actually gets an opportunity overseas before making a comment on his technique.

"I think he does not need to change too much. Every player has got his own style of play. His style is aggressive, playing on the rise and he should continue doing that. We will have to wait and see how does in England and Australia then only we can talk about it," said Muzumdar.

"You cannot be technically correct all the time, too much reliance on technique is also not good. There has to be a balance between technique and flamboyance. All he needs to do is to be selective with his shot making. On which ball to go for your strokes and on which ball to hold back. That is the only thing he needs to watch out," reckoned Muzumdar, one of Mumbai's finest batsmen.

RAJKOT: India pulled off their biggest win over West Indies in one of the most ludicrous mismatches in recent times, inflicting on the hapless visitors an innings and 272-run humiliation inside three days in the first Test on Saturday.

As it happened | Scorecard

India dominated the game, amassing 649 for nine in their first innings before bowling out the West Indies twice on day three, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

They were bundled out for 181 in 48 overs before lunch and were expectedly forced to follow-on. They did not fare any better in the second innings, crumbling to 196 all out in 50.5 overs in the final session.

While Ravichandran Ashwin (4/37) was the pick of the bowlers in the morning, Kuldeep Yadav (5/57) was all over the opposition batsmen in the second innings on way to a maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.

The second and final Test will be played in Hyderabad from October 12-16. The West Indies will have to lift themselves to put up a better performance after being thoroughly outplayed in Rajkot. The absence of captain Jason Holder and pacer Kemar Roach also added to their woes.

For India, the game will be best remembered for the emergence of Prithvi Shaw, who announced his arrival in international cricket with a classy hundred on debut, becoming the youngest from the country to do so in Tests. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were the other centurions.

By tea on Saturday, it became clear that the game will be done and dusted inside three days with the West Indies batsmen cutting a sorry picture at 185 for eight.

Opener Kieran Powell was the only West Indian batsmen to make a significant contribution in the second essay, an entertaining 83 off 93 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes.

Ashwin was their main tormentor in the morning and in the afternoon it was Kuldeep's turn to dominate. The opposition batsmen, who needed to bat for time, seemed to be in a hurry to finish the game. Punishing a loose ball is fine but they went for far too many strokes and paid the price for their recklessness.

Kuldeep thrived on that, mixing it up nicely to fox the batsmen. After he trapped Shai Hope in front for his first wicket, he removed the highly-rated Shimron Hetmyer who went for a wild slog across the line to be caught at short third man. He used his googly to send back Sunil Ambris, who stepped out without having any idea of the way the ball will turn.

In the morning session, Ashwin produced a brilliant spell as India enforced the follow-on.

At lunch, the West Indies were 33 for one in nine overs in their second innings with Ashwin removing skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (10) for his fourth wicket of the day.

The West Indies, resuming their first innings at 94 for six, lasted only an hour and 10 minutes, mainly due to efforts of Roston Chase (53) and Keemo Paul (47) who ended up sharing a 73-run stand. Ashwin ran through the tail on a pitch offering plenty of turn, ending with four for 37 in 11 overs as the West Indies were all out in 48 overs.

India started with the spin-pace combination of Kuldeep and Mohammad Shami. Surprisingly, Chase and Paul had little difficulty in picking the chinaman, who bowled the first over the day. Paul went on the offensive straightaway, sweeping Kuldeep for two crisp boundaries.

Paul was the aggressor in the partnership but Chase also came up with a few attractive shots.

Paul was comfortable against Kuldeep but had issues dealing with the short ball. Umesh Yadav set the West Indian up nicely before getting rid of him with a perfectly placed bouncer as he mistimed a pull to be caught at midwicket.

Ashwin then removed Chase with a beauty, a flighted ball that turned in viciously to create a big gap between bat and pad before crashing into the stumps, leaving the West Indies at 159 for eight. Number 10 and 11 were easy meat for Ashwin who sent them back with the away turning ball.

India expectedly enforced the follow-on with less than an hour to go for lunch.

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Live Blog | Scorecard

Over 29.3: Kuldeep Yadav comes round the wicket, Roston Chase hits to short extra cover for Ashwin to take the catch

Over 22.4: Sunil Ambris charges down the pitch, the ball turns away from him and Rishabh Pant removes the bails in a flash

Over 22.1: Kuldeep Yadav takes his second wicket as Shimron Hetmyer cuts to backward point for KL Rahul to take the catch

Over 20.3: Kieran Powell reaches his sixth Test half-century off 55 balls with a late cut to third man for four

Over 18.6: Kuldeep Yadav traps Shai Hope plumb in front of the wicket by a pitched-up delivery that turned to crash into the pads. Hope thought of a review but decided against it

West Indies were facing a comprehensive defeat after India skittled them out for 181 in the first innings and then enforcing the follow-on before lunch on day three of their series-opener in Rajkot on Saturday. The visitors were 33/1 at lunch in their second innings.

Over 7.6: Ravichandran Ashwin gives India the first breakthrough as Kraigg Brathwaite edges to Prithvi Shaw at forward short leg for a simple catch

Over 7: Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell have given the West Indies a brisk start in the second innings

West Indies bowled out for 181 runs on Day 3, trail India by 468 runs, India enforce the follow-on

Over 47.6: Shannon Gabriel is stumped by Pant off Ashwin

Over 43.5: Debutant Sherman Lewis is clean bowled by a flipper from Ashwin

Over 43.2: R Ashwin deceives Roston Chase in the air with a flighted delivery that goes through the gap to hit the stumps

Over 39.5: Roston Chase brings up his fifty with a fine straight drive off Kuldeep Yadav

Over 38.4: Keemo Paul mistimes a pull off a Umesh Yadav delivery and is caught by Pujara at square leg

Over 30: Ten runs off the first over of the day bowled by Kuldeep Yadav

West Indies collapsed to 94/6 in reply to India's massive first-innings 649/9 declared by the close of the second day of the series-opening Test in Rajkot on Friday.

The visiting batsman proved no match for their Indian counterparts, losing six wickets in a single session after the hosts had piled on the runs.

India captain Virat Kohli eased to a 24th Test century while Ravindra Jadeja celebrated a maiden ton in front of his home crowd, striking five sixes against a toiling Windies attack.

West Indies will begin day three trailing by 555 runs and facing an uphill task to avoid an innings defeat against India's spin-heavy attack on a pitch already offering turn.

Roston Chase was unbeaten on 27 while Keemo Paul was 13 not out at stumps for the touring side.

Mohammed Shami sent back both openers in a hostile opening spell of fast bowling when West Indies walked out to bat after the tea interval and then India's spinners made further inroads.

DUBAI: With their powerful batting and fast improving bowling, India are Asia's best hope at the World Cup which takes place in England next year.

Even without batting star and regular captain Virat Kohli, India powered their way to the Asia Cup title in Dubai, outlasting Bangladesh by three wickets off the last ball in the final.

"India proved to be well ahead of everyone," former Pakistan skipper Wasim told AFP.

"Their exposure is greater, they have financial benefits and the money invested in their system like the Indian Premier League is bearing fruits."

He added: "It's hard to predict eight months in advance but I am sure Pakistan will bounce back. They have some serious work to do in both bowling and batting. Bangladesh have an inspirational captain in Mashrafe Mortaza and Afghanistan is becoming a dangerous team."

Indian team celebrates after winning the Asia Cup in Dubai. (AFP Photo)

Bangladesh, led by Mortaza, fought hard to beat higher-ranked Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who both require some serious work ahead of the World Cup starting from May 30.

Fast-rising Afghanistan, who had to qualify for the World Cup, proved they will be a thorn for many teams with their wicket-taking spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman and a never-say-die spirit.

Champions Trophy holders Pakistan had promised more at the Asia Cup but failed to deliver, unable to put up a fighting total as 162 and 237-7 could not challenge a powerful Indian batting line-up.

Head coach Mickey Arthur termed it a "confidence crisis."

"It's a confidence thing," said Arthur after two defeats against India. "These guys work every day on their catching, but the minute one goes down, it's kind of like a disease.

"We've got to trust the skills to come out in the end. We've banked the work. It's time for that to pay off."

While Rohit Sharma will continue to challenge Kohli as stand-in captain, Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews was not only forced to step down but was also dropped from the squad for the forthcoming England one-day series.

Pakistan have since dropped pace spearhead Mohammad Amir who went wicketless in three Asia Cup matches.

He has yet to play a 50-over World Cup -- missing the 2011 and 2015 events due to a five-year ban for spot fixing on Pakistan's tour of England in 2010.

Afghanistan shocked Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the first round at the Asia Cup.

Every time Afghanistan bat first and score 250-plus they will cause problems for the rivals through Rashid who on Sunday became the number one allrounder in one-day cricket besides being number two bowler in that format.

Afghanistan's best came against a depleted India -- resting Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal -- as they tied the game in the last over.

Only a three-run defeat off the last ball against Bagladesh deprived Afghanistan from a place in the final.

"We have sounded a warning for the World Cup teams," said Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan. "We need to work in a few areas so we have time to do that before the World Cup."