NEW DELHI: India Under-19 booked a place in the Asia Cup final after beating Sri Lanka U19 by eight wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final on Friday. Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George shared an unbroken partnership to complete the chase after India’s bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 138 for 8 in a 20-overs-a-side contest.After rain reduced the match, India’s bowling unit continued its steady run in the tournament, reducing Sri Lanka to 28 for 3 inside the first six overs. Sri Lanka captain Vimath Dinsara scored 32, while Chamika Heenatigala added 42 as the pair put on 45 runs to steady the innings.
Sethmika Seneviratne then made 30 off 22 balls to take Sri Lanka past 135. For India, Kanishk Chauhan and Henil Patel picked up two wickets each.India’s chase began poorly, with Ayush Mhatre dismissed for 7 and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 9, both falling to pacer Rasith Nimsara. Mhatre was out to a short delivery, while Suryavanshi got a leading edge while trying to close the face of the bat.Malhotra then took charge, scoring 61 not out off 45 balls, including two sixes and several boundaries. George, who finished on 58 not out off 49 balls, played the supporting role as the pair added 114 runs for the third wicket. India reached the target in 18 overs to seal their eighth appearance in the U19 Asia Cup final.In the other semi-final, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by eight wickets. India and Pakistan will meet in the final for the first time in 11 years. The last time India U19 defeated Pakistan in an Asia Cup final was in 2014, when the squad included players such as Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav.
