India Under-19 booked their place in the final of the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026 after defeating Afghanistan by eight wickets in the second semi-final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Thursday, November 12.
Captain Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani and opening batter Aaryavir Sehwag starred with the bat as India chased down Afghanistan's target of 228 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Lakshya narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 93 runs off 90 deliveries, while Sehwag provided a strong start with a half-century. Their contributions helped India complete a comfortable run chase and secure a place in the tournament's summit clash.
India will now face arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, setting up another highly anticipated encounter between the two sides. Pakistan had earlier secured their place in the title clash after defeating Bangladesh in the first semi-final.
Afghanistan Post 227/8 After Winning The Toss
Afghanistan Under-19 won the toss and elected to bat first in the second semi-final. However, the Indian bowlers kept the scoring under control and restricted their opponents to 227/8 in their allotted 50 overs.
Noman Salarzai and Shah Faisal Rahimi were Afghanistan's leading contributors, scoring 51 runs apiece. Salarzai faced 78 deliveries, while Rahimi played a 72-ball knock.
Subhan Zakhail also chipped in with 31 runs, while captain Sohail Khan remained unbeaten on 36 towards the end of the innings.
For India, Ishan Sood and Aryan Savsani picked up two wickets each, while Kavya Patel, Yashbardhan Chauhan and Arjun Rajput claimed one wicket apiece.