India U19 defeated Sri Lanka U19 in the first semifinal of the Asia Cup to make their way into the final of the tournament on Friday, December 19. The Indian team chased down an under-par score of 139 in the rain-hit 20-over side clash at the ICC Academy Ground, Dubai.
India were asked to chase 139 as Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George slammed strong half-centuries after captain Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi were dismissed early. Left-hander Malhotra (61 not out off 45 balls), recently picked up by RCB at the IPL mini auction, batted fluently, flicking and pulling with ease to strike a couple of sixes along with several boundaries. His partner and India’s crisis man in the tournament, George (58 not out off 49 balls), was technically sound as India chased down the target in 18 overs.
India’s eighth entry into the final was powered by an unbeaten 114-run partnership for the third wicket between Malhotra and George.
In the other semi-final, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets, setting up a continental final between the arch-rivals after 11 years. The last time India U-19 beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final was in 2014, when the squad featured players such as Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav.
India U-19 endured a shaky start to the chase as teenage IPL sensations Ayush Mhatre (7) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (9) were dismissed by pacer Rasith Nimsara. Mhatre, who has struggled through the tournament, mistimed a pull off a short delivery, while Suryavanshi fell to a clever change of pace, edging a leading shot.
Malhotra then got going with a flicked six off Nimsara and never looked back. George, meanwhile, underlined his class with a commanding drive off off-spinner Kavija Gamage.
Sri Lanka U-19 stayed in the contest until the 13th over from Dunith Sigera, when Malhotra struck a firm pull to the fence, followed by a cover drive and another front-foot pull that sailed to the boundary.
Opting to field, India’s young bowlers made early inroads, reducing Sri Lanka to 28 for 3 inside the first six overs. Skipper Vimath Dinsara (32) and Chamika Heenatigala (42) then added 45 runs in the next six overs to steady the innings. However, Sethmika Seneviratne’s brisk 30 off 22 balls pushed Sri Lanka past the 135-run mark.
For India, spinners Kanishk Chauhan and Henil Patel claimed two wickets each.
