Arjun Rajput’s century goes in vain as Pakistan beat India in U19 Asia Cup
New Delhi: Hamza Zahoor struck an unbeaten century to guide Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket victory over India in their Group A encounter at the in Al Amerat, Oman, on November 8. Zahoor’s match-winning knock, along with a valuable contribution from Hasnain Dar, helped Pakistan chase down a 209-run target with just under two overs to spare.
Zahoor scored an unbeaten 107, while Dar also amassed 38 as the pair pulled Pakistan out of trouble after the team had slipped to 61/5. The thrilling victory took Pakistan to the top of the Group A table with four points from two matches. India, meanwhile, remained in second place with two points.
The Men in Blue looked firmly in control when left-arm spinner Manal Chauhan took three wickets for 32 runs, putting Pakistan under serious pressure in the run chase. One of his standout deliveries came against Abdul Qadir, whose outside edge he narrowly beat before knocking over the off-stump.
With Pakistan struggling, Zahoor and Dar joined forces to rebuild the innings. The duo batted patiently against the Indian attack but did not shy away from attacking opportunities. Their 107-run partnership brought Pakistan back into the contest before Manal dismissed Dar.
Pakistan still needed 41 runs, but Zahoor ensured there were no further setbacks and stayed till the end. He completed his century in style, hitting Kavya Patel through the covers for the winning boundary.
India bowled out for 208
Earlier, Arjun Rajput produced an impressive counter-attacking century, but India failed to build on his effort and were bowled out for 208 in 46.3 overs. After opting to bat, India got off to a poor start and lost four wickets for just 42 runs.
Captain Lakshya Raichandani (0), Aaryavir Sehwag (22), VK Vineeth (8) and Yashbardhan Chauhan failed to make any significant contributions, leaving the middle order with plenty of work to do. Rajput took responsibility at that stage and kept the innings together with a couple of crucial partnerships. He first added 44 runs with wicketkeeper Anvay Dravid, who is the son of former India captain Rahul Dravid. He then combined with Chauhan (11) for another 64-run stand.
While Rajput took the attacking route and scored freely, wickets continued to fall at the other end. He was removed by Rizwanullah in the 36th over, while Yashveer Goud and Mohit Ulva also failed to contribute, leaving India struggling at 195/9.
Kavya Patel’s 23-run knock provided some late resistance, helping India reach 208, although Pakistan’s bowlers had largely kept the scoring in check. For Pakistan, Ali Raza, Niqab Shafiq and Rizwanullah picked up three wickets each, while Mohammad Sayyam took one.