Australia, India Clash in Fitting Final

Townsville: Chasing a third title, India skipper Unmukt Chand on Saturday averred that his side has peaked at the right time as it braces up to take on the formidable in the final of the Under-19 World Cup on Sunday.

India are set to clash with the three-time champions and hosts Australia in summit clash on Sunday.

Australia won the event in 1988, 2002 and 2010, and is not only bidding to win its fourth title but also to become only the second side after Pakistan to win back-to-back titles (2004 and 2006).

Surprisingly, no batsman from either side figures in the list of top 16 run-getters. Cameron Bancroft with 194 runs is in 17th position and Bosisto is 19th, while India's Prashant Chopra with 172 runs is 23rd and Vijay Zol with 150 runs is 33rd on the table.

With the ball, India's Ravikant Singh has bagged 11 wickets and Kamal Passi has claimed 10 wickets while Ashton Turner with 10 wickets and Gurinder Sandhu with nine wickets are Australia's leading wicket-takers.

India's batting line-up is more top heavy than Australia's, and how Unmukt Chand, Prashant Chopra and Baba Aparajith fare against Joel Paris, Mark Steketee and Gurinder Sandhu could decide how competitive the final.

The left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and offspinner Baba Aparajith have backed up India's capable pace attack superbly. Harmeet has been bowling slower, with flight, drift and turn, and taken six wickets in three matches with an economy of 2.83. Aparajith focuses on being economical, bowling a little quicker, and he has four wickets and conceded 3.71 per over.

Teams from

Australia Under-19s WG Bosisto (captain), KR Patterson, CT Bancroft, MJ Buchanan, S Cassel, HNA Conway, AJ Gregory, SR Hain, TM Head, JS Paris, JJ Peirson (wk), GS Sandhu, MT Steketee, NG Stevens, AJ Turner

India Under-19s U Chand (captain), AD Nath, B Aparajith, P Chopra, SS Das (1), Harmeet Singh, AA Herwadkar, RB Kalaria, K Passi, SK Patel (wk), Ravikant Singh, Sandeep Sharma, GH Vihari, Vikas Mishra, VH Zol

Pitch and conditions
The weather in Townsville is expected to be cloudy in the early morning but clear once it's time for the toss. Conditions for batting will still be hardest during the first hour of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have two batsmen - Jimmy Peirson and Meyrick Buchanan - who have scored only 89 runs between them in nine innings. India also have two - Hanuma Vihari and Akshdeep Nath - who've scored only 113 in ten.
• India's batsmen have scored seven half-centuries in five matches, but their highest individual score is Chand's 78 against Zimbabwe.
• Bosisto's been dismissed only once in five innings in this tournament - he was run out against South Africa - and has an average of 189.
• Ravikant is highest wicket-taker 11 in four games. Despite Australia's strength being pace, offspinner Ashton Turner has been their most successful bowler, with ten wickets in five games.
• Australia have conceded 65 wides and two no-balls in their progress to the final. India have conceded 36 wides and six no-balls.

Match facts
Sunday August 26, 2012
Start time 0930 lolca (2330 GMT, previous day), 05:00am IST