India prevail in last-ball thriller against Pakistan to clinch U19 Asia Cup
Needing 29 off 16 with just one wicket left, India won the summit clash on the final ball
India clinched the Under-19 Asia Cup in thrilling fashion as they beat Pakistan in Al Amerat in the final. India's hopes were sinking quick in the 338-run chase as they lost their penultimate wicket when they still needed 29 runs in less than three overs. However, the final-wicket pair dragged the contest right until the end before Mohit Ulva hit a boundary when India needed 3 off the last ball.
India's openers started off on a cautious note before taking off. Aaryavir Sehwag, eventually named the player of the tournament for his fine run, was the aggressor initially. The opener put on a show and brought up his fourth fifty-plus score in the competition but couldn't kick on to make a big one. Lakshaya Raichandani then brought up his own fifty but had taken 72 balls to get to the landmark as India needed a push with regards to the scoring rate.
Pakistan though continued to make regular breakthroughs, putting India on the backfoot before Anvay Dravid and Raichandani broke free with a flurry of boundaries. But when both batters were dismissed off successive deliveries, the doors appeared to be shut for India. However, Manal Chauhan turned on the heat with some counterattacking cricket and despite losing partners at the other end, kept India in the hunt.
Chauhan and Ulva joined forces to turn the tide as they went on a boundary-hitting spree at the death overs. But when the 9th wicket fell in the 48th over, Pakistan would have still backed themselves to get the job done only for Ulva to kickstart the penultimate over with a four and a six. India needed 8 off 6 at the end and Ahmed Hussain did his best to drag it right to the end, only for Ulva to smash the last ball for a boundary that sparked some crazy scenes with the entire team running on to the field.
Earlier in the day, Usman Khan delivered yet again for Pakistan as he struck a well-crafted century in the final. He was well supported by Abdul Qadir who put on a show by clearing the ropes 8 times in his whirlwind 54-ball 80. After his dismissal, skipper Farhan Yousuf took over and smashed a half-century to put Pakistan firmly on top. But from 299/3 after 44 overs, Pakistan collapsed in dramatic fashion, adding only 38 more runs in the final six overs for the loss of six wickets. That collapse eventually had a bearing on the final result.
Brief scores: Pakistan 337/9 in 50 overs (Usman Khan 107, Abdul Qadir 80; Kavya Patel 4-68) lost to India 339/9 in 50 overs (Lakshya Raichandani 80, Aaryavir Sehwag 58, Mohit Ulva 49*) by 1 wicket
