India defeated Pakistan by one wicket in a thrilling final, hitting the winning boundary off the last ball to lift the Under-19 Asia Cup title in Oman, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday.
India chased down Pakistan’s huge target of 338 runs on the final ball of an exciting match, leaving the Pakistani players disappointed after a strong performance with the bat.
Mohit Olwa hit a boundary on the last ball to seal India’s victory.
He remained unbeaten on 49 off just 26 balls and played a key role in the successful chase.
Captain Laskhya led India’s batting with 80 runs, while Sehwag scored 58 and Manal Chauhan added 47 runs.
The match took a dramatic turn in the final overs.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sayyam conceded 17 runs in the 49th over.
India needed 25 runs from the last 12 balls at that stage.
For Pakistan, Rizwanullah took three wickets, while Naqab Shafiq claimed two.
Hasnain Abbas, Ali Raza and Mohammad Sayyam took one wicket each.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.
The Green Shirts scored an impressive 337 runs for nine wickets in their 50 overs.
Opener Usman Khan played a brilliant innings of 107 runs to lead Pakistan’s batting.
Abdul Qadir also impressed with a powerful 80 off just 44 balls, hitting eight sixes.
Captain Farhan Yousaf contributed 63 runs, while Hayam Khan scored 21 and Ahmed Hussain added 17.
Pakistan made a strong start, scoring 93 runs in the first powerplay for the loss of one wicket.
After Hayam Khan’s dismissal for 21, Abdul Qadir came to the crease and attacked the Indian bowlers with a series of boundaries and sixes.
Speaking after the toss, Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf said the pitch was good for batting and winning the title was the team’s main target. He expressed confidence in his players and said there were no changes to the playing XI for the final.
Pakistan’s playing XI included Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan, Hiyam Khan, Abdul Qadir, Ahmed Hussain, Hasnain Abbas, Hamza Zahoor, Mohammad Siaam, Naqab Shafiq, Rizwanullah and Ali Raza.
Pakistan had remained unbeaten throughout the tournament before the final. They had also beaten India in the group stage, but India turned the tables in the title clash to take home the trophy.
TEAMS
Pakistan: 1 Usman Khan, 2 Hayam Khan, 3 Abdul Qadir, 4 Farhan Yousuf (c), 5 Ahmed Hussain, 6 Hasnain Abbas Dar, 7 Hamza Zahoor (wk), 8 Mohammad Sayyam, 9 Ali Raza, 10 Niqab Shafiq, 11 Rizwanullah
India: 1 Lakshya Raichandani (c), 2 Aaryavir Sehwag, 3 VK Vineeth, 4 Yashbardhan Chauhan, 5 Arjun Rajat, 6 Anvay Dravid (wk), 7 Manal Chauhan, 8 Mohit Ulva, 9 Aryan Savsani, 10 Kavya Paresh Patel, 11 C. Venkata
