India beat Pakistan in U19 Asia Cup in Dubai

Dubai: Deepesh Devendran and Kanishk Chouhan claimed three wickets apiece as India registered a convincing 90-run victory over Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Sunday.

Set a challenging target of 241, Pakistan’s chase faltered early as they slumped to 30 for 4, never recovering from the initial collapse. The innings eventually folded for 150 in 41.2 overs, handing India a comprehensive win. Huzaifa Ahsan fought valiantly with a well-made 70 off 83 balls, but received little support as the rest of the batting line-up fell for mostly single-digit scores.

Earlier, India posted 240 in 46.1 overs in a rain-affected contest, thanks largely to a fine innings from Aaron George. Pakistan’s bowlers put in a disciplined performance, with Mohammad Sayyam and Abdul Subhan leading the attack, picking up three wickets each. Both sides had entered the match following dominant wins in their opening fixtures.

After India got off to a brisk start after put in to bat through captain Ayush Mhatre, who struck 38 off just 25 deliveries, including four boundaries and three sixes. However, the early momentum faded as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the standout performer from India’s previous match, was dismissed for 5, while the middle order struggled to forge meaningful partnerships. Aaron George was the standout, anchoring the innings with a fluent 85 off 88 balls, highlighted by twelve fours and a six.

Kanishk Chouhan added a useful 46 from 46 deliveries, emerging as the only other significant contributor, but he too fell before the innings could be finished strongly.

For Pakistan, Sayyam returned figures of 3 for 67 from nine overs, Subhan claimed 3 for 42 in 9.1 overs, Niqab Shafiq picked up 2 for 38, while Ali Raza and Ahmed Hussain chipped in with a wicket each.