Pakistan edges India by three wickets in U19 Asia Cup clash

Pakistan defeated India by three wickets in a Group A match of the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026 in Al Amerat on Sunday.

The Match

Chasing a target of 209 runs, Pakistan struggled early and slipped to 61 runs for the loss of five wickets. Wicketkeeper Hamza Zaroor entered the game at number seven and scored a crucial 100 runs from 108 balls to guide his team to victory. Earlier, India chose to bat first and lost four top-order batters with only 42 runs on the board. Skipper Lakshya Raichandani, Aryaveer Sehwag, VK Vineeth, and Yashbardhan Chauhan all got out quickly.

India's Recovery

Middle-order batter Arjun Rajput stepped in and hit a counter-attacking 107 runs off 85 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and five sixes. Rajput added 44 runs with wicketkeeper Anvay Dravid, son of Rahul Dravid, and another 64 runs with Manal Chauhan. After Rajput got out in the 36th over with the total at 170 for seven, India lost two more quick wickets. Kavya Prasad Patel scored 23 runs and last man Ishan Sood added two not out to push India to a final score of 208 in 46.3 overs.

Bowling Figures

For Pakistan, right-arm medium pacers Ali Raza and Rizwanullah took three wickets each, giving away 37 and 24 runs respectively. Slow left-arm orthodox spinner Niqab Shafiq also claimed three wickets for 42 runs, while left-arm medium pacer Mohammad Sayam took the final wicket.

Context

Youth cricket tournaments like the U19 Asia Cup help young players gain important match experience at the international level before moving on to senior domestic and national teams. India will play its next match in the tournament against the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.