Pakistan lifted the Under 19 Asia Cup title after a dominant win over India in the final, securing their second championship in the tournament’s history. This was Pakistan’s first outright Under-19 Asia Cup victory, as their previous title in 2012 was shared with India.
Batting first, Pakistan put up a massive total of 347 for 8, driven by a brilliant century from Sameer Minhas. He played a commanding knock of 172 runs off 113 balls, hitting 17 fours and 9 sixes. After Pakistan lost early wickets, Minhas steadied the innings and then accelerated, keeping the Indian bowlers under pressure throughout. He shared key partnerships, adding 92 runs with Usman Khan, who scored 35, and later putting on a crucial 137-run stand with Ahmed Hussain, who made 56. Late contributions from Shafiq and Sayyam helped Pakistan push the score close to 350. For India, Khilan Patel, Kanishk Chouhan, Deepesh Devendran and Henil Patel picked up wickets, but they struggled to control the run flow in the death overs.
Chasing a daunting target of 348, India were bowled out for 156, losing the match by 191 runs at the ICC Academy on Sunday. India had chosen to bowl first and began well, with Henil Patel dismissing opener Hamza Zahoor early. However, their momentum faded as Sameer Minhas took control of the game with his powerful and composed batting.
In the chase, India showed early intent but lost wickets in quick succession and failed to build partnerships. Once the middle order collapsed, the Ayush Mhatre-led side could not recover against a disciplined Pakistan bowling attack. Pakistan’s bowlers kept things tight and regularly struck, ensuring India never came close to the required run rate.
