India beat arch-nemesis Pakistan to be crowned Asian champions in the U-19 tournament at Sharjah on Saturday. Indian skipper Vijay Zol and IPL star Sanju Samson laid the foundation with centuries. Pakistan, chasing a stiff total, failed to keep up with the asking rate and finished 40 runs short.
Chasing a target of 315, Pakistan managed 274 for nine in their 50 overs. It was a disciplined performance from India with the batsmen leading the charge. Skipper Vijay Zol (100) and Sanju Samson (100) scored centuries to put up a challenging target for the opposition.
For Pakistan, their skipper Sami Aslam (87) and Kamran Ghulam (102 not out) were the only batsmen to make an impact in the chase. Their partnership of 93 runs was the only stage where the team was in hunt to surpass the huge total.
Earlier, India were put in to bat by Pakistan after winning the toss. India got off to a rollicking start through Ankush Bains. Zol and Samson shared a crucial 180-run stand to propel India to a huge score. Zol hit seven fours and two sixes, while Samson was more aggressive hitting eight fours and four sixes. India could have scored a few more in the death overs if they had not lost a flurry of wickets towards the end.
India had started their campaign against UAE with a convincing 189-run win and then cruised to victory against Nepal before losing to Pakistan by two wickets in their third match. In the semi-final, India defeated Sri Lanka to setup a title clash with their arch-rivals. The last time these two clashed in an Asia Cup final was in 2012 when the match ended in a tie. With this title finish, the Indians will be favourites to win the U-19 World Cup in February 2014.
Brief scores:
- India U-19 Team: 314 for 8 in 50 overs (Ankush Bains 47, Vijay Zol 100, Sanju Samson 100; Zia-ul-Haq 2 for 56, Zafar Gohar 2 for 56)
- Pakistan U-19 274 for 9 in 50 overs(Sami Aslam 87, Kamran Ghulam 102*; Kuldeep Yadav 3 for 72) by 40 runs.
- Result: India beat Pakistan by 40 runs
- Man of the match: Vijay Zol.
- Player of the tournament: Kamran Ghulam.
- Best batsman: Sami Eslam.
- Best bowler: Karamat Ali
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