India faltered against the big-hitting Sameer Minhas suffering a massive 191-run defeat against Pakistan in a one-sided 50-over Under-19 Asia Cup final. Pakistan posted a mammoth 347 for eight, riding on Minhas’ 172. In a tense affair marked by several altercations, it was the Pakistan Shaheens who sealed victory in Dubai on Sunday.
Several India batters got starts but were dismissed trying to keep up with the asking rate. Pakistan pacers made merry and used the extra pace on offer to good effect to inflict an embarrassing defeat.
India’s chase began on an explosive note despite losing Ayush Mhatre early. Vaibhav Suryavanshi hammered Raza for two sixes and a four to take 21 runs in the first over. Aaron George too began brightly, caressing Sayyam for three fours in a row in the fourth over as India raced off the block at 10 runs an over.
But the game’s course changed in the last ball of the fourth over. George was jostled into a pull by Sayyam, and all he could do was to sky the short-pitched ball to Mohammad Shayan inside the circle.
In the first ball of the fifth over, India suffered a body blow with the dismissal of Suryavanshi. The left-hander went for a full-blooded pick-up shot off Raza, but the good-length ball, which had extra bounce on it, took the edge of the opener’s bat and nestled in the gloves of stumper Zahoor Hamza.
Raza and Pakistan fielders celebrated wildly, and a few words were exchanged before Suryavanshi trudged off dejected. India slipped from 49 for 1 to 49 for three in the space of two balls, and it was just the beginning.
Vedant Trivedi and Kanishk Chouhan too fell to snorters as Pakistan pacers made the flat ICC Academy pitch look like the Road of Bones.
India’s last hope was the presence of Abhigyan Kundu, and a drop on 12 off Subhan hinted at a possible shifting of fortune. But all such hopes were trampled when Kundu’s upper cut two balls later after his reprieve found Niqab Shafiq at third man.
Netizens reaction to India's Asia Cup Final loss
