Muscat: Mohit Ulva struck a boundary off the final delivery as India U19 pulled off a remarkable one-wicket victory over archrivals Pakistan to clinch their ninth U19 Asia Cup title in a thrilling final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 2) here on Saturday.
Chasing 338, India finished at 339/9 in 50 overs, with the contest going down to the last ball. Captain Lakshya Raichandani led the chase with a composed 80, while Manal Chauhan and Ulva kept India’s hopes alive with a crucial partnership in the closing stages. Ulva remained unbeaten on 49, while Chigurupati Venkata scored an unbeaten 11.
With India needing eight runs from the final over and Pakistan just one wicket away from victory, Ulva and Venkata kept their composure against Ahmed Hussain. The equation came down to three runs off the last ball after the pair collected singles and survived a stumping appeal. Ulva then connected with the final delivery and sent it to the boundary to seal a memorable win for India.
India began the chase positively, with openers Aaryavir Sehwag and Raichandani putting together 95 runs for the first wicket. Sehwag, who was struck on his right forearm by Ali Raza in the fourth over, continued batting and completed a half-century before being dismissed for 58 off 61 balls, including nine fours, in the 18th over. He was caught by Usman Khan off Niqab Shafiq.
Raichandani continued to hold the innings together and added runs with VK Vineeth, who scored 24 off 21 balls before being caught by Usman off Rizwanullah in the 27th over. Rizwanullah struck again in the 31st over, removing Arjun Rajput for 16, caught behind by Hamza Zahoor.
India lost Yashbardhan Chauhan for nine in the 33rd over, with Usman taking the catch off Hasnain Abbas Dar. Raichandani then found support from Anvay Dravid, and the pair added 56 runs to keep India in the chase.
Pakistan struck twice in the 37th over to put India under further pressure. Raichandani was caught by Hasnain Abbas Dar off Ali Raza for 80 from 101 balls, while Dravid was run out for 19 following a direct hit from Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf.
India continued to lose wickets as Aryan Savsani fell for nine in the 41st over to Rizwanullah. Kavya Patel was then dismissed for a duck by Mohammad Sayyam in the 42nd over, leaving India in a difficult position.
With the required rate climbing and wickets falling, Manal Chauhan and Mohit Ulva launched a spirited counterattack. Chauhan struck two sixes in the 43rd over against Sayyam, while Ulva also found the boundary as India collected 19 runs from the over.
The pair kept the chase alive through the next two overs. Ulva struck a four and a six against Rizwanullah in the 44th over, while Chauhan contributed with a boundary. Ulva then pulled Ali Raza for another six in the 45th over as the partnership crossed 50 runs and India went past the 300-run mark.
India collected 13 runs in the 46th over, with Chauhan and Ulva rotating the strike, but Pakistan struck a crucial blow in the 47th when Niqab Shafiq dismissed Chauhan for 47 off 32 balls. Chauhan’s innings included three fours and three sixes, and he shared a 57-run partnership with Ulva.
With India still needing runs and only one wicket remaining, Venkata joined Ulva at the crease. Venkata kept the chase going with a boundary in the 48th over, while Ulva struck a four and a six off Sayyam to bring the equation down further.
The 49th over produced more drama as India collected 17 runs off Niqab Shafiq, leaving eight runs required from the final six balls. Ulva and Venkata kept their composure against Hussain, collecting singles and negotiating a stumping appeal before the equation came down to three runs from the last delivery. Ulva then hit the winning boundary to complete India’s title-winning chase.
For Pakistan, Rizwanullah claimed three wickets, while Niqab Shafiq took two.
Earlier, Pakistan posted a formidable 337/9 after centuries from Usman Khan and valuable contributions from Abdul Qadir and captain Farhan Yousaf. Usman top-scored with 107, while Qadir struck 80 and Yousaf added 63 to put the defending champions in a strong position.
Pakistan began positively, with Usman and Hayam Khan adding 62 runs for the opening wicket. Hayam was dismissed by Kavya Patel in the ninth over, caught behind by Anvay Dravid, but Usman continued to attack as Pakistan reached 93/1 at the powerplay.
Qadir joined Usman and immediately put the Indian bowlers under pressure. He scored 26 runs from his first eight deliveries and took on left-arm spinner Manal Chauhan, who conceded 40 runs in his three overs. Qadir also struck a couple of sixes in the 23rd over and repeated the feat against Yashbardhan Chauhan in the following over.
The pair added 135 runs for the second wicket before Arjun Rajput provided India with a breakthrough, dismissing Qadir for 80 off 54 balls. Usman continued to anchor the innings and brought up his second century of the tournament in the 35th over.
Kavya Patel then removed Usman in the 37th over, with the opener departing for 107 off 111 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes. Yousaf kept Pakistan moving towards a big total and completed his half-century in the 43rd over.
However, India fought back in the closing overs. Chigurupati Venkata struck twice in the 45th over, dismissing Ahmed Hussain for 17 and Yousaf for 63 with slower deliveries. He returned to remove Hasnain Abbas Dar in the following over, while Kavya Patel dismissed Hamza Zahoor in the 48th over.
Kavya also bowled the final over, conceding just seven runs as Pakistan finished at 337/9. For India, Kavya Patel claimed four wickets, while Venkata took three to lead the bowling effort.
Brief scores:
Pakistan U19 337/9 in 50 overs (Usman Khan 107, Abdul Qadir 80; Kavya Patel 4-68, Chigurupati Venkata 3-40) lost to India U19 339/9 in 50 overs (Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani 80, Aaryavir Sehwag 58, Mohit Ulva 49*; Rizwanullah 3-53, Niqab Shafiq 2-57) by 1 wicket.
–IANS–
