History unheeded: Tactical folly costs India U19 Asia Cup glory

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Spanish philosopher and essayist George Santayana's warning feels uncomfortably relevant following India's chastening defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the final of the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2025.

Despite being lucky with the coin flip, the India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre opted to field first and conceded a major advantage as Pakistan capitalized and handed their arch-rivals their biggest ever defeat (191 runs) in youth ODIs in terms of runs.

Having comprehensively beaten every side that crossed paths with them during their run to the final, India were primed to win their ninth title, but they failed to heed history and committed a tactical gaffe. Notably, it was the Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf who had made the same blunder during their group-stage encounter with India, losing by 90 runs, in pursuit of 241.

Let's look at the prominent incidents where the India U19 side was unable to get over the line while chasing gettable totals in tournament finals:

1. India vs Pakistan U19 World Cup 2006 Final

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat first at the R Premadasa in Colombo, but folded for just 109 in 41.1 overs as they were outfoxed by the guile of Piyush Chawla (4/8) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/16). 

India were the favourites to lift the title at the halfway stage but got bundled out for 71 in just 18.5 overs as Anwar Ali (5/35) decimated their batting order with his imperious in-swing. The loss came as a shocker as India's batting line-up comprised Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, who were billed as future stars.

2. India vs Australia U19 World Cup 2024 Final

After winning the toss, Australia captain Hugh Weibgen had specified that they wanted to post a score on the board, as chasing in age-group cricket becomes very challenging at times. Australia posted 253 in their 50 overs, and the Boys in Blue could only muster 174, losing eventually by 79 runs.

"So proud of the boys and our coaches. Everyone was open to batting first, our plan was to get a few runs and back ourselves," Weibgen said after the win.

It may sound like a cliché, but runs on the board in knock-out fixtures mostly prove to be the difference, especially when it's an Indo-Pak encounter.

India's 180-run loss in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 will remain a quintessential example of how scoreboard pressure can lead to the undoing of top-rated sides. Having hammered Pakistan in the group-stage encounter by 124 runs (DLS), India gained the advantage by winning the toss in the final, but Virat Kohli opted to field, and Fakhar Zaman ran away with the game.