After bagging lucrative deals at the IPL auction, members of the unbeaten Indian team will be eager to deliver when they face Pakistan in the second semifinal of the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Tuesday.
Three-time champion India has played like a thorough professional outfit, winning all four matches in emphatic fashion including the quarterfinal against Bangladesh.
For two-time winner Pakistan, it has not been smooth sailing all the way. It lost its tournament opener to Afghanistan before winning three in a row.
However, its last two results was narrow three wickets wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Pakistan’s bowling, led by left-arm pace sensation Shaheen Afridi, has done the job for the team but batting has been far from convincing.
Ali Zaryab Asif did bulk of the scoring in the middle-order, rescuing the side from tight situations twice. He hit 59 against Sri Lanka and followed it up with a 74 against South Africa in the quarterfinal. It’s time that others chip in and Indian pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi would look to exploit that weakness in the opposition camp.
The highly-rated batsmen will have to be wary of Afridi, who has taken 11 wickets in four games at 10.21 including a six-wicket haul against Ireland.
Pakistan will be more familiar with the conditions, having played its quarterfinal at the Hagley Oval here.
India had played its last game against Bangladesh in Queenstown.
The teams (from):
India: Prithvi Shaw (Capt.), Shubman Gill, Aryan Juyal, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harvik Desai, Manjot Kalra, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pankaj Yadav, Riyan Parag, Ishan Porel, Himanshu Rana, Anukul Roy, Shivam Mavi and Shiva Singh.
Pakistan: Hasan Khan (Capt.), Rohail Nazir , Mohammad Ali Khan, Ali Zaryab, Ammad Alam, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Shah, Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Mohsin Khan, Muhammad Musa, Muhammad Zaid, Munir Riaz, Saad Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Suleman Shafqat.
Aussie colts in final
Australia cruised into the final of the Under-19 World Cup with an easy six-wicket win over Afghanistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday.
The three-time champion chased down Afghanistan’s target of 182 at a canter, losing just four wickets as it reached it with more than 12 overs remaining.
It will play the winner of the semifinal between India and Pakistan in the final on Saturday.
The scores: Afghanistan U-19 181 in 48 overs (Ikram Ali 80, Merlo four for 24) lost to Australia U-19 182 for four in 37.3 overs (Edwards 72).