BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia commended India’s Under-19 team for their impressive 58-run win against Pakistan and their unbeaten streak at the ICC U-19 World Cup. Saikia praised the team’s game awareness, strategic play, and consistent performance, securing a spot in the semi-finals with another remarkable victory.
India, batting first after Pakistan won the toss, recovered from a shaky start at 47/3 to reach 252 runs in 49.5 overs. Vedant Trivedi’s composed 68 off 98 balls, along with contributions from RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, and Khilan Patel, propelled the total past 250.
Despite Pakistan’s bowlers making some breakthroughs, India capitalized on fielding errors to score an additional 39 runs in the final four overs. Pakistan’s chances of qualifying depended on chasing the target within 33.3 overs to improve their net run rate, but they failed to accelerate their pursuit.
Henil Patel’s early dismissal of Sameer Minhas and effective bowling by India’s Ayush Mhatre and Khilan Patel restricted Pakistan. The chase faltered on a challenging pitch, leading to a collapse as Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 43 runs, being bowled out for 194 in 46.2 overs.
India’s disciplined tactics ensured they avoided a semi-final clash with Australia, setting up a match against Afghanistan in Harare on February 4.
