India U-19 defeated Sri Lanka colts by eight wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final in Dubai on Friday, setting up a U-19 Asia Cup summit match with bitter rivals Pakistan. Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra’s thrilling stroke-play was superbly complemented by Aaron George’s composure.
The Indian bowling unit, which has been excellent throughout the tournament, held Sri Lanka to 138 for 8 in 20 overs after rain reduced the game to 20 overs per side.
In response, left-hander Malhotra (61 not out off 45 balls), who was selected by RCB in the just finished IPL mini auction, effortlessly flipped and pulled to strike a few sixes in addition to hitting a few boundaries.
George (58 not out off 49 balls), his partner and India’s crisis man in this match, was technically flawless with his strokes as India chased down the mark in 18 overs.
Malhotra and George’s uninterrupted 114-run partnership for the third wicket was the foundation of India’s ninth final participation.
After an 11-year break, the bitter neighbors will face off in the continental final after Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in the other semi-final.
Shreyas Lyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sanju Samson, and Kuldeep Yadav were among the players on the India U-19 side that had defeated Pakistan in the 2014 Asia Cup final.
India U-19’s chase got off to a bad start when Rasith Nimsara dismissed teenage IPL sensations Ayush Mhatre (7) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (9). A short ball from Nimsara forced Mhatre, who has had a terrible tournament, into a poorly timed pull.
For Suryavanshi, who attempted to close the face of the bat but received a leading edge that ballooned, Nimsara changed his tempo.
But there was no turning back as Malhotra began with a flicked six off Nimsara. George demonstrated his class with an arrogant drive off off-spinner Kavija Gamage.
Up until Dunith Sigera’s 13th over, when Malhotra hit a short, firm pull for a boundary, a drive through extra cover, and another front-foot pull that landed on the grass banks, Sri Lanka U19 were still fighting hard.
The bowling unit of the India Colts, who chose to field, did a good job of reducing Sri Lanka to 28 for 3 in the first six overs before captain Vimath Dinsara (32) and Chamika Heenatigala (42) contributed 45 in the next six overs to stabilize the innings.
But Sethmika Seneviratne’s cameo—a 22-ball 30—was what sent Sri Lanka over the 135-run threshold. Henil Patel and Kanishk Chauhan, two spinners for India, each claimed two wickets.
