U-19 World Cup 2022 final: How India have fared in last 7 finals as Yash Dhull & Co. aim for glory

Yash Dhull-led Indian team will look to extend the country's dominance at the ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 when they take on England in the final on Saturday (February 05). Despite facing a number of hiccups throughout the tournament, the India U-19 team showed remarkable resilience under pressure to enter the final unbeaten and are now just one step away from clinching glory.

As many as five Indian players, including skipper Dhull, had tested positive for COVID-19 midway through the tournament in the Caribbean. India had to play a second-string side in the absence of the first-choice players. However, the team managed to continue its dominance in the league stage before those who had tested positive returned to the line-up.

Dhull led from the front in the semi-final against Australia as he slammed a brilliant century to power the team to a comprehensive 96-run win and secure a spot in the final against an unbeaten England. Both the teams are yet to lose a game in the tournament and will be gunning for glory in the final on Saturday.

India have dominated in the U-19 World Cup since the tournament's inception in 1988. The ongoing tournament is the 14th edition of the tournament and India have made it to an impressive eight finals so far. India have won the U-19 World Cup trophy a record four times and will be looking to lift their fifth trophy this year.

Here is a look at how India have fared in their last seven U-19 World Cup finals:

2000 - India beat Sri Lanka to win maiden U-19 World Cup

India reached their first-ever ICC U-19 World Cup final in the year 2000. The team consisting of the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and others defeated Sri Lanka in the final by six wickets to win their maiden U-19 World Cup trophy. Kaif, who was leading the team, became the first Indian captain to win the prestigious tournament.

2006 - India lost against Pakistan in final

India played their second final in the 2006 U-19 World Cup where they met arch-rivals Pakistan in the summit clash. The Ravikant Shukla-led side lost the final by 38 runs after failing to chase down a low-key target of 110 runs. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla were part of the Indian squad.

2008 - India won their 2nd U-19 World Cup trophy

Virat Kohli-led India defeated South Africa in a rain-affected final to win the elusive trophy. Tanmay Srivastava was the star for India in the final with a gritty knock of 49 runs off 74 balls as he helped the team win by 12 runs via the D/L method. The likes of Kohli, Jadeja, Manish Pandey and Siddharth Kaul were part of the team.

2012 - India won their 3rd U-19 World Cup trophy

Unmukt Chand became the third Indian captain after Kaif and Kohli to lead India to glory at the U-19 World Cup. Chand-led India U-19 team defeated Australia U-19 by six wickets in the final of the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup to bag their third trophy. Chand was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning century in the final.

2016 - India lost against West Indies in the final

Ishan Kishan-led India were favourites to win the final of the ICC U-19 World Cup 2016 against West Indies. However, the Indian team could only manage a paltry 145 runs in the summit clash and failed to defend the total to miss out on a fourth title. The likes of Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar were part of the team.

2018 - India won a record 4th ICC U-19 World Cup trophy

India went on to clinch a record fourth ICC U-19 World Cup title under Prithvi Shaw's captaincy in 2018. India met Australia in the final where Manjot Kalra's terrific century helped the team chase down the target of 217 runs with 11.1 overs to spare. India registered a comprehensive win by 8 wickets and the tournament saw the rise of the likes of Shaw, Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi among others.

2020 - India lost to Bangladesh in final

India's latest appearance in the final of the U-19 World Cup came in 2020 when they met Bangladesh in the summit clash. Chasing the target of 178 runs, Bangladesh won the game by three wickets via the D/L method. The final ended on a controversial note after tempers flared on both sides.