U19 Asia Cup: Hamza Zahoor’s unbeaten 100 takes Pakistan past India by three wickets after Arjun Rajput’s 107; India play UAE on Tuesday

Arjun Rajput’s century kept India in the game against Pakistan at the U19 Asia Cup in Muscat on Sunday, 8 November, but Hamza Zahoor’s decided it. Zahoor finished on 100 not out from 108 balls and struck the winning runs as Pakistan U19 reached 209/7 with 11 balls left, a three-wicket win against India U19 in Match 8 of the tournament.

India lost early wickets. Ali Raza bowled captain Lakshya Raichandani with one that came back into him, and three wickets were down for 22. Rajput then carried the innings, hitting 107 off 85 balls before Rizwanullah removed him. India finished on 208. Raza, Rizwanullah and Niqab Shafiq took three wickets each.

From 61/5 to the winning runs

Pakistan’s chase also faltered early. Ishan Sood took the first wicket, Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf edged a catch to second slip, and the fifth wicket fell with only 61 on the board. Zahoor then shared a stand of 107 for the sixth wicket, reached his fifty and then his hundred, and finished the game himself.

It was India’s first defeat of the tournament. Two days earlier, on Friday, 6 November, they had beaten Nepal by 10 wickets. Sood took 3/18 as Nepal were held to 128, and Aaryavir Sehwag (70 not out) and Raichandani (53 not out) knocked off the runs in 19.1 overs.

UAE next, semi-finals on Thursday

India’s third and last group match is against the UAE on Tuesday, 10 November, at OCC Turf 2 in Muscat. When the Junior Cricket Committee named the 15-member squad on 30 October, the BCCI set out the format: Group A has India, Pakistan, Nepal and the UAE, and Group B has Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Malaysia. The top two in each group go through to the semi-finals on Thursday, 12 November.

Raichandani leads the side, with Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan as his deputy and Anvay Dravid and Rajat Baghel as the two wicketkeepers. The final is on Saturday, 14 November.