India land knock out punch on Pakistan to advance to U19 World Cup 2026 semifinal

The Boys in Blue hammered Pakistan by 58 runs at the Queens Sports Club to knock them out of the ongoing U19 World Cup and register a semifinal berth for themselves on Sunday.

Cognizant of the fact that they needed to win by a huge margin, Pakistan skipper Farhan Yousaf opted to field first to restrict India to a paltry total and chase it down with ease to earn a semifinal spot.

India got off to a reasonably good start with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George adding 47 in 7.4 overs. Suryavanshi looked in good nick as he tried to put India's stamp on the game straightaway, scoring five fours and a six. He was dropped on 30 by Huzaifa Ahsan but failed to make the most of the reprieve and got out the very next ball, getting a feather to the keeper off Mohammad Sayyam.

Suryavanshi's wicket opened the floodgates as Pakistan removed George and skipper Ayush Mhatre in quick succession to leave India reeling for 47/3. The centurion in the previous game against Zimbabwe, Vihaan Malhotra, added 62 runs for the fourth wicket alongside Vedant Trivedi and pulled India out of harm's way. But Vihaan (21 off 43) failed to adjust to the pace of the wicket and lobbed a simple return catch to leggie Ahmed Hussain in the 24th over. 

Vedant kept his calm amid pressure and held one end up, showcasing why the team management kept backing him up despite multiple missed opportunities. He added two valuable stands of 38 and 35 with Abhigyan Kundu and RS Ambrish to ensure India could eye a total in excess of 200.

Vedant perished to a high full toss off left-arm wrist spinner Momin Qamar as he premeditated the stroke and danced down the track too early, lobbing a simple catch to mid-wicket.

Ambrish (29 off 38 balls), Kanishk Chouhan (35 off 29), and Khilan Patel (21 off 15) batted superbly down the order to propel the team to a respectable 252 in 49.5 overs. Right-arm pacer Abdul Subhan was the pick for Pakistan as he registered figures of 3/33 in 9.5 overs and was well supported by Sayyam, who claimed 2/69 in his 10. Ali Raza, Hussain, Momin, and Ali Hassan Baloch claimed a wicket each.

Needing 253 in just 33.3 overs to enter the semis, Pakistan promoted wicketkeeper Hamza Zahoor to open alongside Sameer Minhas in a repeat of the tactic they had used in the U19 Asia Cup final against the same opposition last month.

The punt paid dividends as Hamza scored a 49-ball 42 and made sure Pakistan's run rate stayed around the five-run per over mark despite the early loss of Minhas. Hamza dragged a ball onto his stumps while attempting to sweep Kanishk in the 17th over, but not before smashing eight boundaries during his enterprising stay in the middle.

In walked Farhan and added a 63-run stand with Usman Khan; however, the duo couldn't manage to accelerate freely, and the pressure of the asking rate led to the undoing of the Pakistan skipper.

Farhan looked good for his 38 off 39, scoring three fours and two sixes in the process, and kept the Indian players on high alert. Usman top-scored for Pakistan with 66 but consumed way too many balls (92) in the process in a contest where his team needed to throw caution to the wind. He batted at a strike rate of 71.73.

India put the squeeze on Pakistan as Mhatre chipped in with three wickets, and Khilan also registered a three-wicket haul. Pakistan eventually folded for 196 in the 47th over. Kanishk was the most economical bowler as he conceded just 30 runs in his 10-over spell and was awarded the Player of the Match (POTM) for his all-round effort. India will now take on Afghanistan in the semis.