New Delhi: Former cricketers Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Irfan Pathan and BCCI CoE head VVS Laxman led rich praise for India’s Under-19 side after they beat Pakistan by one wicket to win the Men’s U19 Asia Cup in a thrilling clash in Muscat.
Pakistan set India a daunting target of 338, but half-centuries from skipper Lakshya Raichandani (80) and Aaryavir Sehwag (58), followed by late contributions from Manal Chauhan (47) and Mohit Ulva (49 not out), carried the chase to its dramatic conclusion.
Sehwag, the former India opener and father of Aaryavir, applauded the young team’s character in a post on X. “What a match! What a finish! To beat Pakistan in an U19 Asia Cup final chasing 338 takes some serious character. Lakshya’s 80, Aaryavir’s 58, and then Manal Chauhan and Mohit Ulva’s Jalwa when we needed a miracle. What an unbelievable victory. Proud of these young Champions!”
Former India captain Ganguly also praised the team on X, with a special mention for Aaryavir, who was adjudged Player of the Tournament for scoring 361 runs, the most by a batter in the competition.
“Well done India under19 .. superb performance .. young Sehwag .. what a tournament he had.. every other member of the team as well .. Veeru must be very proud @virendersehwag,” he said.
Former India left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan wrote on X, “What a win by our u19 boys vs Pakistan. Showed the real fighting character. Brilliant to see.”
Laxman wrote on X, “Heartiest congratulations boys. The resilience, grit and composure you displayed under pressure was outstanding. You showed great character, belief and determination when it mattered most. Proud of the way you represented India. Keep learning and keep raising the bar. Well done team.”
Ex-India opener Aakash Chopra wrote on X, “An absolutely stellar win by our Under-19 boys against Pakistan in the Asia Cup finals. So so proud and happy for each one of them. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.”
Player of the Match Ulva, who hails from Lakhtar in Surendranagar district, finished unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, to guide India home. The Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) also congratulated India Under-19 team, and its President Jaydev Shah, also a BCCI Apex Council Member, singled out Ulva’s epic knock and another player from the state, Aryan Savsani.
“It is indeed a remarkable, phenomenal and outstanding achievement by Team India to emerge victorious against Pakistan in such a thrilling and nail-biting final. The manner in which our young team chased down a challenging target of 337 runs reflects their tremendous character, confidence and determination.
“Mohit Ulva’s match-winning and historic unbeaten innings of 49 runs is particularly special and shall be remembered for a long, long time. It is a moment of immense pride for Saurashtra cricket.
“Having witnessed his progress and performances, I am confident that Mohit has a very bright future ahead and will go on to represent Team India on numerous occasions and in many prestigious tournaments. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mohit, Aryan and the entire Indian Under-19 team for this magnificent achievement,” added Shah.
–IANS–
