Under-19s Asia Cup 2026/27, IND19 vs PAK19 Final Match Report, November 14, 2026

India 339 for 9 (Raichandani 80, Sehwag 58, Ulva 49*, Rizwanullah 3-53) beat Pakistan 337 for 9 (Usman 107, Qadir 80, Yousaf 63, Kavya 4-68, Venkata 3-40) by one wicket

This was the stuff of miracle, an instant India vs Pakistan classic, bursting into life right when it seemed to be all over, like all great cricket heists. Chasing 338 in the Under-19s Asia Cup final, India were 252 for 8 in the 42nd over. In a repeat of last year’s finalPakistan were on the verge of defending their title.

Then, No. 7 Manal Chauhan and No. 10 Mohit Ulva orchestrated an all-timer of a comeback, helping India chase down 86 off 51 with just one wicket to spare.

Ahmed Hussain had seven runs to defend in the final over and conceded five in the first five balls despite bowling a wide. With three to win off the final delivery, Ulva drilled a drive over long-off to steal a last-ball one-wicket win, and the Asia Cup title, for his team. He got there with No. 11 Chigurupati Venkata – chipping in with an eight-ball 11 in his first game in this tournament – for company.

Pakistan’s bowlers, who had been precise with their plans in hot and humid Al Amarat so far, erred in line and length as the sun went down. They kept feeding slot balls to the big-hitting pair of Chauhan and Ulva. The two put together a 57-run stand in just 35 balls under pressure, and even then, Pakistan had the upper hand when Chauhan fell on 47 off 32, with India still needing 29 off 16.

The start of India’s innings had been the very antithesis of its finish: the top order opted to start cautiously, and India were 186 for 3 in the 33rd over. The required rate was already above eight per over. The pressure rose against Pakistan’s tight lines on a surface that had begun to grip. India lost five wickets for just 66 runs and were heading towards a defeat, with fast bowler Rizwanullah completing his three-for through the middle overs.

Pakistan had been in a position of such dominance because with the new ball in hand, Ali Raza and Mohammad Sayyam had homed in on hard lengths that cramped India’s batters. In the fifth over, opener and Player-of-the-Tournament Aaryavir Sehwag was struck on the right forearm, just below his elbow, and was in agony for the rest of his innings. Just two balls later, he swatted a ball away after defending it and the Pakistan in-fielders appealed for obstructing the field, but the umpires turned them down.

With strapping on his arm and painkillers, Sehwag battled his way to a 61-ball 58 before miscuing to long-off in the 18th over. His contribution would prove to be vital in the end, though it was not as decisive as Lakshya Raichandani‘s effort, as the two shared a 95-run opening stand.

Despite intermittent authoritative shots, Raichandani played at a slower strike rate of 79.20. He top-scored with his 80 off 101. At least two of his partners, notable VK Vineeth and Arjun Rajput, were dismissed arguably while trying to manufacture shots to up the run rate. Raichandani himself was finally caught off a stunning leaping catch by Hasnain Abbas Dar at midwicket, in the 37th over. The next ball, a direct hit sent back Anvay Dravid, who was looking for a non-existent run.

Pakistan had been tight in their fielding all day, and as they nabbed their sixth wicket, they stood in contrast to India’s sloppy effort in the field: India had dropped at least three catches and missed one run-out chance. But as Pakistan’s bowling discipline waned in the death overs, India’s decision to take the game deep was vindicated.

Earlier in the day, opener Usman Khan‘s 107, a blistering 54-ball 80 from Abdul Qadirand a half-century later in the innings from captain Farhan Yousaf had taken Pakistan to 337 for 9.

India’s quicks went too full in their search for swing with the new ball, shared by Ulva and Kavya Paresh Pateland Usman and fellow opener Hayam Khan took full toll. Pakistan had looked set to score a lot more, having blazed away to 93 for 1 in the batting powerplay and 204 for 2 after 30 overs. But Kavya (4 for 68) and Venkata (3 for 40) headlined the last ten overs, as only 63 runs were scored for six wickets.

Hayam (21) fell in the ninth over, to Kavya, skipping down the track to a wide delivery and sending an outside edge to the wicketkeeper. Kavya had anticipated his movement because till then, the Pakistan batters had used their feet quite effectively to throw India’s bowlers off their lengths. They continued doing so even after the powerplay, as Usman and Qadir shared a 135-run partnership off just 113 balls for the second wicket.

Qadir was the aggressor, even as Usman scored at just under a-run-a-ball at the other end. Qadir smashed eight sixes and three fours and made his first fifty at this level. The highlight of his innings came in the ninth over itself, when he played a high-elbowed front-foot pull off Kavya.

Thereafter, the two batters continued to be aggressive even against the spinners, in particular left-arm spinner Chauhan, who went wicketless in his three-over spell for 40 runs. Qadir’s high-risk batting rewarded him plenty but caused his downfall in the 27th over as he popped a leading edge to the covers off Arjun Rajput.

Usman brought up his century in the company of his captain Yousaf, and the two continued to rotate the strike in a more tepid 43-run stand in 57 balls. Usman fell to Kavya in the 37th over, looking to up the ante, caught at mid-off.

Yousaf could not accelerate as well during his 60-ball 63. He departed in the 45th over, hoicking a slower delivery to long-on, and by then, India’s comeback was well underway. Kavya and Venkata deployed their slower deliveries well as Pakistan could not generate enough pace off their bat-swing to find boundaries as easily as they did against the new ball. The pitch began gripping in the death overs and the runs dried up. Like all of India’s small contributions that came before the big climax, these quiet death overs kept the eventual miracle win within their reach.

Abhijato Sensarma is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

Source: www.cricinfo.com