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LAHORE: Three wickets apiece from Abdul Subhan and Mohammad Sayyam and a fighting half-century by Huzaifa Ahsan were not enough to prevent Pakistan Under-19 from suffering a 90-run defeat to India Under-19 in their Group A match of the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup at the ICC Academy Ground on Sunday.
Put in to bat, India were dismissed for 240 in 46.1 overs after making a brisk start. Opener Aaron George anchored the innings with a well-paced 85 off 88 balls, striking the ball cleanly through the middle as wickets fell around him. Captain Ayush Mhatre set the tone early with an aggressive 38 from 25 deliveries, smashing four boundaries and three sixes to give India early momentum in the powerplay.
Pakistan clawed their way back into the contest through disciplined bowling in the middle overs. Left-arm pacer Mohammad Sayyam and right-arm fast bowler Abdul Subhan led the fightback, finishing with three wickets each. Niqab Shafiq provided useful support with two scalps, while Ali Raza and Ahmed Hussain picked up one wicket apiece as Pakistan prevented India from batting out their full quota of 50 overs.
Chasing 241 for victory, Pakistan never recovered from a shaky start. Early breakthroughs by the Indian bowlers reduced Pakistan to 30 for four in 13.1 overs, putting them firmly on the back foot. Regular wickets ensured the required run rate continued to climb, and partnerships proved difficult to build.
Right-hander Huzaifa Ahsan stood out with a determined 70 off 83 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes in an otherwise faltering batting display. Captain Farhan Yousaf added 23, while opener Usman Khan scored 16, but no other batter reached double figures as Pakistan were bowled out for 150 in 41.2 overs.
India’s bowling was led by all-rounder Kanishk Chouhan, who was named player of the match after contributing 46 with the bat and returning figures of three for 33 from 10 overs. Deepesh Devendran also impressed, claiming three wickets for 16 runs, while Kishan Singh chipped in with two for 33 to seal a comprehensive victory.
Pakistan Under-19, who had begun their campaign with a dominant 297-run win over Malaysia on Friday, will now face the United Arab Emirates in their final group match at the same venue on Tuesday, December 16. The match is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. local time.
Scores in brief:
India Under-19 240 all out in 46.1 overs (Aaron George 85, Kanishk Chouhan 46, Ayush Mhatre 38; Abdul Subhan 3-42, Mohammad Sayyam 3-67, Niqab Shafiq 2-38)
Pakistan Under-19 150 all out in 41.2 overs (Huzaifa Ahsan 70, Farhan Yousaf 23; Deepesh Devendran 3-16, Kanishk Chouhan 3-33, Kishan Singh 2-33)
Result: India Under-19 won by 90 runs
Player of the match: Kanishk Chouhan (India Under-19)
