India U19 beat Afghanistan U19 to secure a place in final vs England in the 2026 Under 19 World Cup. (PHOTO: ICC)
A superb century by Aaron George, complemented by explosive half-centuries from Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, helped India walk into the finals of the U19 World Cup for a record 10th time after a 7-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the semifinal in Harare on Wednesday. Chasing a challenging target of 311, India secured their place in a record sixth consecutive Youth World Cup final, where they will face England.
Faced with a steep total, India launched a blistering start thanks to star prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 15-year-old left-hander smashed a 33-ball 68, dominating the chase from the outset. By the time he was dismissed in the 10th over, India had already raced to 90. Captain Ayush Mhatre then joined Aaron George, and the pair maintained the momentum with a commanding 114-run partnership for the second wicket.
Earlier, Afghanistan posted a formidable 310 for four, built on magnificent centuries from Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai. Shinozada top-scored with a 93-ball 110, while Niazai remained unbeaten on 101 from 86 deliveries, as the Indian bowlers struggled to contain the Afghan batters and break partnerships consistently.
AS IT HAPPENED | India vs Afghanistan 2026 U19 World Cup Semifinal Highlights
Opting to bat, Afghanistan were off to a solid start with the opening duo of Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai adding 53 runs before pacer Deepesh Devendran effected the first breakthrough in the 13th over.
It was a length ball and as Ahmadzai shaped up to drive, he got a slight inside-edge that and it went through to wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu.
Ahmadzai made 31 in 39 balls.
Faisal then added 64 runs for the second wicket with Sadat, setting up Afghanistan for a strong total However, spin-bowling all-rounder Kanishk Chouhan struck for India at the start of the 25th over as he had Sadat caught at long-off after the batter played a reckless shot. Sadat made 39, but consumed 70 balls for that.
After the departure of Sadat, Faisal found another able ally in Niazai as the duo stitched together a big partnership for the third wicket. Faisal struck 15 fours in all, while Niazai found the fence 12 times and cleared it twice.
(With PTI inputs)
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