Captain Lakshya Raichandani made 93 and shared a 117-run opening stand with Aaryavir Sehwag as India Under-19 chased 228 to beat Afghanistan by eight wickets in Oman with 79 balls to spare, setting up a Saturday Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
Al Amerat, Oman: India Under-19 will meet Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Saturday after a clinical eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in the semi-final, a chase that finished with 79 balls to spare and was built on captain Lakshya Raichandani’s 93.
Sood and Savsani keep Afghanistan in check
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat, and wicketkeeper Noman Salarzai and Shah Faisal Rahimi rebuilt with half-centuries to take them to 143 for 3. Aryan Savsani then struck twice in quick succession, turning that score into 146 for 6, and Ishan Sood came back late to finish with 3 for 43. Savsani ended with 2 for 29 from seven overs and Arjun Rajput took 1 for 20 from four, and late runs lifted Afghanistan to 227 for 8, a target India never looked like missing.
A flying start from the openers
India took the contest away early. Raichandani brought up his fifty off 39 balls, and he and Aaryavir Sehwag added 117 for the first wicket in just under 17 overs. Sehwag, who had hit 160 against the UAE in India’s previous match, struck four fours and four sixes in a 51 off 57 balls before he was caught off Noor Ali Niazi.
Vineeth finishes the job
Raichandani then added 77 for the second wicket with VK Vineeth and fell for 93 off 90 balls, an innings of 13 fours and a six, with India on 194 for 2. Vineeth finished unbeaten on 57 off 62 balls and sealed the win with a four and a six off successive deliveries from Noor Ali, as India reached 230 for 2 in 36.5 overs. Raichandani was named Player of the Match.
Pakistan wait in the final
The win extended India’s run after a group-stage loss to Pakistan, and the batting unit that carried them through the tournament, led by Sehwag and Raichandani, will be tested again by a Pakistan attack that has beaten them once already.
Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the first semi-final and will go into the final as the side that beat India in the group stage on 8 November, India’s only defeat of the tournament. India will look to reverse that result when the two sides meet on Saturday 14 November.
Score: Afghanistan Under-19 227/8 (50 overs; Salarzai and Rahimi half-centuries; Sood 3/43, Savsani 2/29) lost to India Under-19 230/2 (36.5 overs; Raichandani 93, Vineeth 57*, Sehwag 51) by eight wickets with 79 balls remaining — ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup, second semi-final, Al Amerat, Oman, 12 November 2026. Player of the Match: Lakshya Raichandani.
Final: India Under-19 v Pakistan Under-19, Saturday 14 November.
