India Under-19s produced a dominant all-round display to defeat Pakistan Under-19s by 90 runs in a rain-affected Under-19s Asia Cup clash, with Kanishk Chouhan playing a decisive role with both bat and ball. The match, reduced to 49 overs per side, effectively swung India’s way early in Pakistan’s chase.
After being sent in to bat, India posted 240, built around a fluent 85 from Aaron George and a crucial lower-order contribution from Chouhan.
India started brightly, reaching 73 for 1 inside nine overs, before captain Ayush Mhatre fell for 38, triggering a slowdown. Regular wickets followed, and India slipped to 113 for 4 midway through the innings.
George and Abhigyan Kundu steadied the innings with a 60-run stand, the highest partnership of the match. However, Abdul Subhan struck twice in quick succession to remove both batters, leaving India at 174 for 6. Chouhan then took charge from No. 7, scoring a run-a-ball 46 that included two fours and three sixes, lifting India to a competitive total.
Pakistan’s reply faltered almost immediately. Deepesh Devendran ripped through the top order, claiming three early wickets to reduce Pakistan to 30 for 4 inside 14 overs. A brief recovery, led by captain Farhan Yousaf and Huzaifa Ahsan, offered hope, but Chouhan broke the partnership by dismissing Yousaf.
Ahsan fought on with a well-made 70 off 83 balls, the only substantial contribution of the innings. However, he found little support as wickets continued to fall. Chouhan completed a fine all-round performance with figures of 3 for 33, while Devendran finished with 3 for 16, as Pakistan were bowled out for 150.
Only three Pakistan batters reached double figures, underlining India’s dominance. Chouhan was named Player of the Match for his match-winning contributions. As in previous India-Pakistan encounters this year, players from both sides observed a no-handshake policy at the end of the game.
