An upbeat India face arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semifinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup on Tuesday. Three-time champions India have played four matches in the tournament so far, winning all four matches in emphatic fashion including the quarterfinal against Bangladesh. For two-time winners Pakistan, it has not been smooth sailing in the quadrennial event. They lost their tournament opener to Afghanistan before winning three in a row. However, their last two results were 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.
Live updates India vs Pakistan ICC Under 19 World Cup Semi-Final straight from Hagley Oval, Christchurch
03:37 IST: DROPPED! The slip fielder drops it. Slightly tough. Manjot survives again. India 57/0 in 9 overs
03:34 IST: 50 up for India. What a way to bring up the fifty for his team. With a boundary, flashed at the point by Manjot. He is now on 28 runs already. India 52/0 in 7.4 overs
03:32 IST: Dropped! Manjot survives. It was a sitter. Opportunity lost for Pakistan. First slip fielder drops it. India 47/0 in 7.3 overs
03:28 IST: FOUR! Pakistan skipper Hassan Khan taken the responsibility to take wickets but gets welcomed with a boundary by Manjot. Poor delivery. India is dealing in boundaries it seems.
03:27 IST: FOUR! Its Prithvi Shaw picking up the boundaries now. Drives towards the point region for a four. Shaheen Afridi's introduction isn't helping Pakistan much. India 39/0 in 6 overs
03:19 IST: FOUR! Its raining boundaries at the moment. A freebie by Arshad for the left-hander Manjot who is hitting boundaries at will now. A good delivery to make up for the earlier loose ball. A boundary to end the last over. But wait, its a no ball by the Pakistan pacer. Nothing going his way. Free Hit. Sliced away by Manjot, 13 runs off the over. India 34/0 in 5 overs
03:18 IST: FOUR! Straight to the cover fielder. Muhammad Musa is at the receiving end. Manjot is now getting on the attacking mode. Impressive batting by the Indian openers. India 21/0 in 4 overs
03:12 IST: FOUR! Second four of the innings. Short and hit towards the offside boundary by Manjot. A good opening exchange between the batsmen and bowlers. India 13/0 in 3 overs
03:08 IST: FOUR! First boundary. A good shot by the Indian captain. Sees the space outside off stump and punches it towards the boundary. India 7/0 in 2 overs
03:05 IST: Muhammad Musa bowls the second over. Manjot takes a single off the third ball. Nervous single, pushed it towards the offside.
03:03 IST: First over up. Last ball fetches two runs for the Indian skipper. Cautious by Prithvi, saw off the first five balls then played it on the offside to take two runs. India 2/0 in 1 over
03:01 IST: No runs off the first three balls. Prithvi is looking to defend and see how the ball behaves.
03:00 IST: Manjot Kalra and India u-19 skipper Prithvi Shaw are the openers for the India u-19 team. Pakistan's Arshad Iqbal will begin the proceedings with the new ball.
02:58 IST: A must-win encounter for either sides. The conditions are excellent for batting.
02:56 IST: We are moments away from the first delivery to be bowled.
02:55 IST: Both teams along with the match officials walk towards the field of play. Proud moment for both the teams as their respective National Anthems are being played.
02:46 IST: Here's the list of both the squads
INDIA U-19 XI: P Shaw, M Kalra, S Gill, H Desai, R Parag, A Sharma, A Roy, K Nagarkoti, S Mavi, S Singh, I Porel
PAKISTAN U-19 XI: M Alam, I Shah, R Nazir, A Zaryab, M Taha, A Alam, S Khan, H Khan, M Musa, S Afridi, A Iqbal
The #U19CWC trophy, to be claimed by Australia or... #PAKvIND #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/WEPj6va2r5
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) January 29, 2018
02:35 IST: India U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw wins toss, elects to bat first against Pakistan U-19 team in the semi-final match
India have won the toss and bat first in their #U19CWC semi-final against Pakistan! #PAKvIND LIVE https://t.co/aTD1zG1zCU pic.twitter.com/JmgOdIbsZe
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) January 29, 2018
02:18 IST: We are 40 minutes away from the anticipated semi-final clash.
01:40 IST: Hello and welcome to the live updates of the semi-final match between India under-19 and Pakistan under-19 team in the Under-19 World Cup
Come on INDIAAAAA!
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) January 29, 2018
Best wishes to #TeamIndia for the much-anticipated #U19CWC semi-final against Pakistan.#INDvPAK
Earlier, three-time champions India thumped Australia, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe to top Group B. While India face Pakistan in the semi-finals, Australia have already booked their spot in the final by beating Afghanistan in the other semi-final. The young Indian guns would also be high on confidence, having secured potentially life-changing deals at the IPL auction with their performances in the World Cup. India on Friday had thrashed Bangladesh by 131 runs in the quarterfinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup held at Queenstown.
