ICC U-19 WC Preview: India vs Pakistan

Defending champions India take on Pakistan in the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on February 4.

While the Boys in Blue have won all four games that they have played thus far, defeating Sri Lanka, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, Pakistan had to tackle rain in their group match against Bangladesh, which pushed them to the second spot in the points table. However, they registered an emphatic win over Afghanistan in the last match, with Mohammad Huraira scoring a vital 64 as they won by 6 wickets.

For India, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his third fifty of the competition in the quarters against Australia to help set up an exciting clash with the arch-rivals.

India U19 Team News, Predicted XI and Key Players

India have been in superb form this edition, with clinical wins over Sri Lanka, Japan, and New Zealand in the group stage meaning that they finished on top of the table. They took on Australia in the quarters, getting the better of them by 74 runs, with Jaiswal and Atharva Ankolekar hitting fifties to set the tone for a win. With the ball, it was Kartik Tyagi who picked up 4 for 24 as India bowled out Australia for 159.

They are expected to go into the match unchanged.

Key players: Yashasvi Jaiswal: The Indian opener has smashed three fifties thus far, scoring 62 from 82 against the Aussies in the last game to continue his good run.

Ravi Bishnoi: The bowler picked up his 11th wicket in the tournament in the last game. His leg-spin will be crucial to his team’s chances in the middle overs yet again.

Kartik Tyagi: The pacer picked up 4 for 24 in the last match to take his tally to nine wickets from just four games. In seaming conditions, his expertise will be invaluable with the new ball.

Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Divyaansh Saxena, Tilak Varma, Priyam Garg (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Siddhesh Veer, Atharva Ankolekar, Sushant Mishra, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi

Pakistan U19 Team News, Predicted XI and Key Players

The Boys in Green were unfortunate to finish second in the group after beating Scotland and Zimbabwe with ease. They were on track to defeat Bangladesh as well, which would have taken them on top of the table, but rain meant that the game was washed out and they were second due to the Net Run Rate.

However, Pakistan bounced back by defeating Afghanistan in the quarters, with Mohammad Amir Khan picking up 3 for 58. Mohammad Huraira made his first appearance in the tournament in the last game and proved his worth with a fine 64, and he should keep his spot in the line-up.

Key Players – Mohammad Amir Khan: The bowler came into the team for the first time in the World Cup against Bangladesh and proved his worth by picking up four wickets. He picked another three against the Afghans and will be the key against India.

Mohammad Haris: He has only batted twice in the tournament so far, but has played important knocks, including an aggressive 81 off 48 balls against Zimbabwe. He continued his form against Afghanistan as well, scoring an unbeaten 29 to take his team over the line.

Tahir Hussain: The left-arm medium-pace bowler, who is only 17 years of age, has picked up seven wickets in the tournament. He is one of the most skilled pacers in the unit, and his match-up with Jaiswal will be one to watch out for.

Predicted XI: Haider Ali, Muhammad Huraira, Fahad Munir, Rohail Nazir (c, wk), Qasim Akram, Mohammad Haris, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir Khan, Tahir Hussain, Aamir Ali