Pakistan U19 beat India U19 by three wickets in a thrilling Group A clash of the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat on Sunday, 8 November. Hamza Zahoor's unbeaten century carried the defending champions home, chasing down 209 with 11 balls to spare after Arjun Rajput's brilliant 107 had rescued India from a top-order collapse.
Rajput's lone fight lifts India to 208
India won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision backfired almost immediately. Pakistan's new-ball pair struck on the second ball of the match, Ali Raza removing captain Lakshya Raichandani for a duck, and India soon slipped to 22 for 3 and then 86 for 5.
Rajput then took charge. The middle-order batter counter-attacked with a magnificent 107 off just 85 balls, hitting 11 fours and five sixes, and accounted for more than half of India's runs. Useful support came from Kavya Patel, who made 23, and Aaryavir Sehwag, who scored 22, as India pushed past 200 before being bowled out for 208 in 46.3 overs.
Pakistan's bowlers shared the wickets around:
Ali Raza — 3 for 37
Rizwanullah — 3 for 24
Niqab Shafiq — 3 for 42
Mohammad Sayyam — 1 for 27, taking the final wicket
Pakistan wobble, then Zahoor takes over
Chasing 209, Pakistan made a shaky start of their own. They lost their top order cheaply and were reduced to 61 for 5 inside 15 overs, with Manal Chauhan's spin doing the damage for India. Usman Khan made 16, Abdul Qadir 20, and captain Farhan Yousaf fell for just 2.
That brought Hamza Zahoor and Hasnain Abbas Dar together, and the pair changed the match. They added 107 runs for the sixth wicket, steadying the chase with a mix of careful defence and well-timed boundaries. Dar made a composed 38 off 67 balls before Chauhan finally broke the stand, and Mohammad Sayyam fell soon after to leave Pakistan 183 for 7.
Zahoor, though, held his nerve to the end. He reached his century in style, driving Kavya Patel for four to seal the win, and finished unbeaten on 100 off 108 balls with 10 fours and three sixes. Niqab Shafiq was 2 not out at the other end as Pakistan reached 209 for 7 in 48.1 overs.
What the win means
Pakistan came into the tournament as defending champions, having beaten India by 191 runs in last season's final, and this win keeps that hold over their rivals intact. Both teams had won their opening group matches, so the result puts Pakistan on top of Group A with two wins from two.
Pakistan's last group game is against Nepal on 10 November at Al Amerat, while India will look to bounce back and seal their own place in the semi-finals. For Hamza Zahoor, a match-winning hundred in a Pakistan–India game is the kind of innings that gets a young player noticed — and he finished it with a boundary, exactly as the occasion demanded.
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Source: Full scorecard, CricTracker