Pakistan humiliated India with a thumping 191-run defeat in the final to lift the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging 348-run target for victory, India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 156 runs in 26.2 overs.
This is the second biggest defeat in a U19 Asia Cup final. Bangladesh beat the UAE by 195 runs in the U19 Asia Cup final in 2023.
How poorly India batted could be gauged from the fact that number 10 batter Deepesh Devendran was the top scorer for the side with 36 off 16 balls, with the help of six fours and two maximums. Vaibhav Suryavanshi contributed 26 off 10 balls, hitting one four and three maximums.
Khilan Patel made 19 off 23 balls with the help of two sixes, Aaron George 16 off nine balls, and Abhigyan Kundu 13 off 20 balls. No other batter could enter the double figures. Ali Raza bagged four wickets while Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Sayyam and Huzaifa Ahsan took two wickets apiece.
Sameer Minhas was named player of the match for his match-winning knock of 172 off just 113 balls. He was also named player of the tournament for scoring 472 runs in five matches.
After being put into bat by Indian skipper Ayush Mhatre, Pakistan reached 347/8 in their allotted 50 overs.
Sameer Minhas was the highest scorer for the Green shirts with 172 off just 113 balls, hitting 17 boundaries and nine maximums. Ahmed Hussain contributed a valuable 56 off 72 balls during 137 runs crucial third-wicket stand with Sameer in the middle overs. He hit three fours and one maximum.
Usman Khan made 35 off 45 balls, laced with three fours and one maximum. Skipper Farhan Yousaf made 19 off 18 balls with the help of two fours and one maximum. Wicketkeeper batter Hamza Zahoor made 18 off 14 balls with the help of one four and two maximums to give much-needed momentum at the top order.
Mohammad Sayyam made 13 off eight balls with the help of one maximum, while Niqab Shafiq contributed 12 off 17 balls with one four to help Pakistan set a competitive target for the strong India batting lineup. Deepesh Devendran bagged three wickets and Henil Patel and Khilan Patel two each, while Kanishk Chouhan took one wicket.
Pakistan Playing XI: Hamza Zahoor, Sameer Minhas, Usman Khan, Ahmed Hussain, Farhan Yousaf (capt), Huzaifa Ahsan, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Abdul Subhan, Ali Raza, Mohammad Sayyam
India Playing XI: Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vihaan Malhotra, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Kishan Singh
