India vs Pakistan (Photo by @ICC on X) Young all-rounder Kanishk Chouhan produced a superb performance as India outclassed arch-rivals Pakistan by 58 runs in a Super Six match to book their place in the U-19 World Cup semi-finals. India will now face Afghanistan in the last four, while England and Australia will square off in the other semi-final.Batting first, India posted a competitive 252 in 49.5 overs, largely thanks to a crucial late surge.
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After a steady but slow build, Kanishk’s blistering 35 off 29 balls and an eighth-wicket partnership of 50 runs in just 5.1 overs with Khilan Patel (21 not out from 15) lifted India to a strong total. Earlier, Vedant Trivedi anchored the innings with a patient 68 off 98 balls after India suffered a mini-collapse from 47 not out to 47 for three. Vaibhav Suryavanshi got off to an attacking start with 30 off 22 balls, but skipper Ayush Mhatre fell on the first ball to continue his poor run in youth ODIs.Needing to chase down the target in 33.3 overs to qualify on pure run-rate, Pakistan started steadily but showed little urgency. They reached 167 for 4 at the cut-off point, effectively ending their semi-final hopes, and were eventually bowled out for 194 in 46.2 overs. Hamza Zahoor (42), Usman Khan (68) and Farhan Yousuf (38) put up resistance but the defensive approach of the middle order proved costly.The Indian bowlers dominated the spin to help the pitch. Kanishk was exceptional, conceding just 30 runs in his 10 overs and delivering 40 runs. Khilan Patel (3/35) and skipper Ayush Mhatre (3/21) applied relentless pressure through the middle overs, suffocating Pakistan’s scoring and triggering a collapse.India’s all-round effort sealed the overall victory and underlined their strong momentum heading into the semi-finals.
