India defeated Pakistan by 1 wicket in the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Saturday, November 14. Chasing 338 for a win, India reached the target on the final ball of the match. Needing 3 runs on 1 delivery, Mohit Ulva hit a four to seal the game in his team’s favour.

Lakshya Raichandani and Aaryavir Sehwag gave India a great start, with the two openers adding 95 runs in 17.4 overs. However, the dismissal of Sehwag allowed Pakistan to dominate the proceedings.

He scored 58 runs off 61 balls, laced with 9 fours, before  Niqab Shafiq took his wicket.

VK Vineeth was looking good in the middle, amassing 24 off 21 deliveries, with the help of three boundaries.

However, he couldn’t handle the short ball bowled by Rizwanullah and was caught, with the score reading 146 for 2.

Rizwanullah then got rid of Arjun Rajput for 16 runs to put India on the back foot.

Yashbardhan Chauhan managed just 9 runs and was sent back by Hasnain Abbas Dar. The Indian U-19 suffered the biggest blow when skipper Raichandani gifted his wicket to Ali Rana.

Although he contributed 80 runs, his reckless shot ended India’s hopes of winning the title. He faced 101 balls and smashed 5 fours.

Rahul Dravid’s son, Anvay Dravid, hit three boundaries in 12-ball 19, but he couldn’t carry on as wrong judgment resulted in his run-out.

Manal Chauhan kept one end intact, but the wickets kept falling from the other end, with the likes of Aryan Savsani (9) and Kavya Paresh Patel (0) returning to the dressing room. Manal found an able partner in the form of Mohit Ulva, and the two added 57 runs for the ninth wicket.

Manal scored 47 runs off 32 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes. When Manal was dismissed on a score of 309, it seemed all over for India.

However, Ulva didn’t give up, and his unbroken stand of 30 for the last wicket with Chigurupati Venkata proved to be the winning one. Ulva managed 49 not out in 26 balls, with 5 fours and 3 sixes. On the other hand, Venkata remained unbeaten on 11 runs off 8 balls, including 2 boundaries. Ulva and Venkata were sensational for the Indian team.

For Pakistan, Rizwanullah took three wickets while Niqab Shafiq added two scalps to his bowling figures.

Ali Raza and Hasnain Abbas Dar claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Farhan Yousaf won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Usman Khan posted a well-compiled hundred for his team. He hit 11 fours and 3 sixes in his knock of 107 and recorded a strike rate of 96.39. He faced 111 balls and added important runs with the top order.

His opening partner Hayam Khan managed just 21, but they stitched a 62-run stand for the first wicket.

Abdul Qadir, the No. 3 batter, was aggressive from the start and scored 54-ball 80. His 8 sixes and 3 fours guided Pakistan to a big total.

He and Usman added 135 runs for the second wicket.

Yousuf played a skipper’s knock, amassing 63 runs in 60 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes.

The dismissal of Usman and Yousuf allowed India to stop the run flow.

Ahmed Hussain (17), Hamza Zahoor (10) and Hasnain Abbas Dar (2) were dismissed by the Indian bowlers.

Mohammad Sayyam (7) and Niqab Shafiq (11) were sent back in the death overs, with Pakistan reaching 337/9 in 50 overs.

Kavya Paresh Patel took 4 wickets while Chigurupati Venkata claimed 3 scalps. Rajput claimed one scalp.