India vs Pakistan prepares for Under-19 Asia Cup final

India are set to face Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup final on Sunday at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. India and Pakistan won their semi-finals against Sri Lanka U-19 and Bangladesh U-19 respectively on Friday.

The two teams will face each other in the final after 11 years. The last time they played, India beat Pakistan in the final in 2014.

India’s victory against Sri Lanka

In the first semi-final, India defeated Sri Lanka in a rain-affected match. Play was reduced to 20 overs per team. Sri Lanka were restricted to 138 for 8 as the Indian bowlers kept the pressure on the Pakistani batters.

Kanishk Chauhan and Henil Patel claimed two wickets each. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan skipper Vimath Dinsara (32), Chamika Heenatigala (42) and Sethmika Seneviratne (30 off 22) fought back.

India had a weak start to the race with Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi falling early to Rasith Nimsara. Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra then took control, scoring an unbeaten 61 off 45 balls. Aaron George backed him up with an unbeaten 58 off 49 deliveries. Their 114-run partnership guided India to the target in 18 overs.

Pakistan dominates Bangladesh

The second semi-final was also reduced to 27 overs per team. Pakistan were dismissed for 121 in 26.3 overs. Pacer Abdul Subhan finished with figures of 4 for 20. He received support from Huzaifa Ahsan, who claimed two wickets, while Ali Raza, Mohammad Sayyam and Ahmed Hussain picked up one each.

Bangladesh struggled to establish partnerships, with only Samiun Basir showing some resistance. He top-scored with 33 runs off 37 deliveries.
In response, Pakistan comfortably chased down the target despite an early setback. Sameer Minhas and Usman Khan then took control of the innings, putting on a dynamic 85-run partnership for the second wicket to stabilize the chase. Pakistan easily achieved the target, sealing victory with 69 balls to play.

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