India win Under-19 Asia Cup, beat Pakistan in final
What's the story
In a thrilling final, India have won the Under-19 Asia Cup by defeating Pakistan in a nail-biting cricket contest. The match was played at Al Amerat, Oman on Saturday. Chasing a target of 338 runs, India were in deep trouble at one stage with just two wickets remaining and 29 runs to get off the last 16 balls. However, Mohit Ulva and Manal Chauhan staged a remarkable comeback to help their team clinch victory on the final ball of the match.
Match-winning duo
Ulva and Venkata guide India to victory
The match was on a knife-edge when India needed 29 runs off 16 balls.
Ahmed Hussain, Pakistan's bowler, had eight runs to defend in the final over but ended up conceding five runs in his first five balls.
Ulva then hit a drive over long-off to seal India's victory with just one ball remaining.
He was supported by No. 11 Chigurupati Venkata who scored an impressive eight-ball 11 in his tournament debut.
Strategic play
How did India's innings pan out?
India's innings was a mix of caution and aggression.
The top order started slowly but were at a comfortable 186 for 3 in the 33rd over.
Openers Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani and Aaryavir Sehwag managed 80 and 58 respectively.
However, they lost five wickets for just 80 runs in the face of Pakistan's disciplined bowling on a pitch that had started to turn. Fast bowler Rizwanullah took three wickets during this period, putting India in a difficult position.
Chauhan scored a handy 47 whereas Ulva scored 49* off 26 balls.
Batting breakdown
Pakistan's innings summary
Pakistan started strong with openers Usman Khan and Hayam Khan putting up a 62-run partnership in the batting powerplay.
However, they fell to Kavya Paresh Patel (4/68) and Venkata (3/40) in the last 10 overs, as only 63 runs were scored for six wickets.
Despite this, Pakistan managed to post a challenging total of 337/9 on the board.
Usman scored 107 runs off 111 balls. Abdul Qadir smashed a 54-ball 80. Skipper Farhan Yousaf hammered 63 runs off 60 balls.