India U19 Reaches World Cup Final After Record Chase Against Afghanistan

India sealed a record chase in the U19 World Cups after they secured a seven-wicket win by chasing down the 311-run target against Afghanistan. This was also the highest successful run-chase for India in U19 ODIs, bettering 304 against England in Taunton in 2002.

India also reached their 10th U19 World Cup final, the most for any team, followed by Australia with six in 16 editions of this tournament.

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Ayush Mhatre hailed opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for providing a quick start and releasing pressure from other batters during the monumental chase.

"Afghanistan started very well with the bat, and while our bowlers did well in the middle overs, they really got away from us in the final ten. Our discussion was simple: just play our natural game. The wicket was playing beautifully, a real flat wicket, so we knew if we played naturally, it would be a manageable total. [Sooryavanshi] He played a major role in the chase. Scoring 90 runs in the first 10 overs released all the pressure, making it much easier for the rest of us to build the innings," Mhatre said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The Indian captain added, "[George] He is a classy, fabulous batsman. He didn't have many big scores leading into this, but he was always batting well in the nets. We were confident that if he played his natural game, he would come good. He anchored the innings perfectly. [Conditions here] The conditions at Harare Sports Club are excellent. The boys are in a good rhythm, and we intend to keep things simple and stay focused on the field. [Message to the fans] Just keep supporting us; your support boosts our morale. We will give 110% on the field and do our absolute best to win that match. [Recovery time before the Final] Yes, it's enough. We are used to these conditions and have played enough cricket back in India, where we often play every other day. We'll recover well and be ready."

Earlier, Afghanistan posted a challenging 310/4 in 50 overs against India on the back of fantastic centuries from Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai.

The Afghanistan duo of Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai stitched a mammoth partnership of 148 runs off 130 deliveries. Faisal Shinozada made 110 runs off 93 balls, with 15 fours.

Uzairullah Niazai remained unbeaten on 101 runs off 86 deliveries, with 12 fours and two sixes. For India, Deepesh Devendran (2/64) and Kanishk Chouhan (2/55) scalped two wickets each.

Chasing 311, Opener batter Aaron George made 115 runs off 104 balls, including 15 fours and two sixes, which sealed the game for India U19. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made 68 off 33 balls, started well with George and added 90 runs for the first wicket.

Vedant Trivedi (5 not out) and Vihaan Malhotra (38 not out off 47 balls) remained unbeaten as India registered a comfortable win while chasing a challenging target of 311 runs.

Nooristani Omarzai was the outstanding bowler for Afghanistan U19, who picked up two wickets for his side, while conceding 64 runs in his full quota of 10 overs.

- ANI