PTI Dubai
India faltered against the big-hitting Sameer Minhas and the extra zip of pacers, suffering a massive 191-run defeat against Pakistan in a one-sided 50-over Under-19 Asia Cup final, here Sunday.
Pakistan lifted their second U19 Asia Cup, and as it is the norm now, there was no formal greetings between the players of two teams.
Once Pakistan posted a mammoth 347 for eight, riding on Minhas’ 172 (113b, 17×4, 9×6) they needed a lion-hearted chase to clinch a ninth title in the tournament.
But the tall Pakistan pace troika — Ali Reza (4/42), Mohammad Sayyam (2/38) and Abdul Subhan (2/29) — hurried their top-order with consistent hard-lengths as India folded for 156 in 26.2 overs.
Minhas was adjudged the Player-of-the-Match and also Player-of-the-Series.
India’s chase began at a frenetic pace, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashing 21 runs in the first over and Aaron George striking
three successive fours soon after. However, Pakistan struck back swiftly as George and Suryavanshi fell in consecutive deliveries, triggering a collapse from 49/1 to 49/3.
The pacers continued to exploit bounce and pace, removing Vedant Trivedi and Kanishk Chouhan cheaply. Abhigyan Kundu briefly offered resistance but perished soon after a reprieve, summing up India’s troubled evening.
Earlier, Minhas dominated the Indian attack, registering his second century of the tournament after an unbeaten 177 against Malaysia. Supported by Usman Khan and later Ahmed Hussain, whose 56 helped consolidate, Pakistan built commanding partnerships before Minhas fell for a superb 172, setting up an emphatic triumph.
