Aaryavir Sehwag’s India U19 face unbeaten Afghanistan U19 in the semi-final of the ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup at Al Amerat in Oman on Thursday, with a place in Saturday’s final at stake.
India booked their place in the last four with a 70-run win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, after a must-win group game that followed a defeat in their second match. They finished as Group A runners-up with two wins from three matches, and Sehwag was the hero of the win over the UAE, smashing 160 off 168 balls as India posted 309 for seven, before Ishan Sood took four for 37 as the UAE were bowled out for 239. Sehwag’s innings was the standout batting performance of the tournament so far, and India will need their in-form opener at his best again on Thursday, with support from the rest of a top order that has not always fired together.
Afghanistan, though, will be a far sterner test than the UAE. The Group B winners finished the group stage unbeaten with three wins from three matches, sealing top spot with a convincing 106-run win over Sri Lanka on Monday. Led by captain Sohail Khan, they have been the most consistent side in the tournament, and they will be looking for their first title win since 2017.
India have not won the Under-19 Asia Cup since 2021, and they have reached the final of the last two editions without lifting the trophy. That history, and the way their campaign has swung from a group defeat to a must-win victory, makes Thursday’s semi-final a genuine test of this side’s temperament. The top order is firing, with Sehwag in the form of his young career, but the middle order will need to do more than it did against the UAE if India are to post a total their bowlers can defend.
Sood’s four-wicket haul was the other big positive from Tuesday, and India will look to him again alongside captain Lakshya Raichandani to keep Afghanistan’s batters quiet. The semi-final starts at 10:30 AM IST on Thursday, November 12, at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), with the winners advancing to the final at Turf 2 on Saturday, November 14.
For India, the equation is simple. Beat an unbeaten Afghanistan side, and they are one win from ending a five-year wait for the title. Lose, and a tournament that promised so much after Sehwag’s 160 ends at the semi-final stage.
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