Mohit Ulva's unbeaten 49 rescues India from 252-8 as Pakistan's 337-run total proves insufficient in a dramatic one-wicket defeat.
MUSCAT, Nov. 14 (Focus Pakistan) — Mohit Ulva hit a boundary off the final ball to give India a one-wicket win over Pakistan in the U19 Asia Cup final on Saturday, completing a 338-run chase that had looked lost at 251 for seven.
Pakistan, the defending champions and unbeaten in the tournament until Saturday, posted 337 for nine after captain Farhan Yousaf won the toss and chose to bat at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground.
Usman Khan and Hayam Khan put on 62 for the first wicket.Opener Usman Khan made 107 off 111 balls and Abdul Qadir raced to 80 off 54 to put Pakistan in charge.
Kavya Paresh Patel took four wickets for India and Chiguruppati Venkat three, dragging Pakistan back in the closing overs. India needed 6.76 an over from the first ball of the chase.
India captain Lakshya Raichandani replied with 80, and Aaryavir Sehwag, son of former India opener Virender Sehwag, helped give the chase a quick start. At 251 for seven, India still needed 87, and Pakistan looked like champions again.
Manal Chauhan and Mohit Ulva then swung the final. Chauhan struck 47 before he holed out to Usman Khan off Niqab Shafiq, but Ulva kept swinging and ended on 49 not out from 26 balls.
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India needed eight from the last over with one wicket left. They needed three off the last ball, and Ulva hit four.
The win handed India their ninth U19 Asia Cup title.
Pakistan had beaten India by three wickets in the group stage, when Hamza Zahoor’s unbeaten century rescued a chase of 209 from 65 for five.
Last year’s final in Dubai went the other way, with Pakistan crushing India by 191 runs for their first outright U19 Asia Cup title, having shared the trophy in 2012.
Sameer Minhas hit 172 in that Dubai final.
The 2012 final in Kuala Lumpur ended in a tie, and the two sides shared the trophy.
India also beat Pakistan by 58 runs in the Super Six stage of the U19 World Cup in Bulawayo in February.
Usman Khan had also scored a century against the UAE earlier in the tournament.
Pakistan fielded Farhan Yousaf, Usman Khan, Hayam Khan, Abdul Qadir, Ahmed Hussain, Hasnain Abbas, wicketkeeper Hamza Zahoor, Mohammad Sayyam, Niqab Shafiq, Rizwanullah and Ali Raza.
Pakistan finished the tournament with only one defeat, and it came on the last ball of the final.
