An India vs Pakistan final in the ongoing U-19 Asia Cup could be a possibility provided both the teams win their respective semifinal matches on Friday. While Pakistan will be facing Bangladesh in the first semifinal, the Boys in Blue will be taking on Sri Lanka in the second in Dubai and Sharjah respectively.
Coming into the tournament as favourites, eight-time champions India suffered a setback when they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan in their campaign opener. However, they regrouped to win the next two games by big margins to advance into the last four.
India defeated Japan by 211 runs before thumping hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 10 wickets. Pakistan, on the other hand, advanced as Group A toppers, having won all their three games. The good news for India is that opener and IPL sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi is back among runs alongside the likes of Ayush Mhatre and captain Mohamed Amaan.
As far as Group B is concerned, Sri Lanka topped the pool with maximum points from their all three games. Bangladesh's only loss came against the Lankans. Afghanistan and Nepal were the other two teams in Group B.
In case both India and Pakistan win their respective semifinal games, it would the second time, the teams will face each other in the ongoing competition. In the group stage, Pakistan defeated India by 43 runs. Batting first, Pakistan rode on Shahzaib Khan's majestic hundred to post 281/7. In reply, India were no match for their opposition despite a late fightback from Nikhil Kumar and Mohamed Enaan.
The India vs Sri Lanka U-19 Asia Cup semifinal will be played at the Sharjah International Stadium on Friday (December 6). The IND vs SL match starts on 10:30 AM IST. Sony Sports are the official broadcasters of the U-19 Asia Cup. The India vs Sri Lanka U-19 Asia Cup semifinal will be telecast live on Sony Sports 3 (Hindi) and Sony Sports 5 (English). Live streaming of IND vs SL match will be available on Sony LIV app and website.
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