India is through to the semifinals of the Under-19 ODI World Cup 2026. Ayush Mhatre’s team has played five matches and won all of them. Barring a close encounter against Bangladesh, India didn’t really face any real challenge.
To reach the last four, India had to just ensure that their last Super Six encounter against Pakistan wasn’t one-sided. The Men in Green needed a victory by a big margin to overcome India’s superior net run rate. India lost the toss and was sent to bat first.
Pakistan’s lack of self-belief
After an early wobble, India fought and posted 252 on the board. The equation for Pakistan was 253 runs in 33.3 overs. That’s what they had to do to qualify for the semifinals. The chase was expected to be tricky but not impossible.
What unfolded was baffling. It seemed like Pakistan didn’t go for the chase at all. Despite losing just 1 wicket in the powerplay, Pakistan managed to score just 56 runs. 197 from 23.3 overs was needed now. Pakistan had to go hard. But they did anything but.
In the next 10 overs, Pakistan lost just 1 wicket. However, they slowed down. Between the 11-20 phase, just 42 runs were scored. The tactics were head-scratching. It was as if Pakistan didn’t believe they could chase the target and didn’t even try to go for it.
At the 33.3 mark, the moment by which Pakistan had to chase 253, they were 167/4. Whopping 86 runs behind where they should have been. Had they been down 9 wickets or all out, it would have made sense, but Pakistan didn’t try to chase it. From that moment, it all went downhill as India won by 58 runs, with Pakistan losing their last 6 wickets for just 27 runs.
India have topped the Super Six Group 1 and will face Afghanistan in the second semifinal.
Men’s 2026 Under-19 ODI World Cup semifinals
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 3 | Australia U19 vs England U19 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | 1 PM |
| February 4 | India U19 vs Afghanistan U19 | Harare Sports Club, Harare | 1 PM |
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