India U19 pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat in the U19 Asia Cup final.
India U19 cricketer Mohit Ulva clarified that team’s fiery celebrations after beating Pakistan in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2026 final in Oman on Saturday (November 14) were a spontaneous release of emotion and not an attempt to provoke the opposition.
Speaking to Star Sports a day after India's dramatic one-wicket victory in the title clash against the arch-rivals, Mohit addressed the social media backlash surrounding his teammates' on-field reactions.
The 18-year-old noted that intense emotions are natural in an India-Pakistan contest, especially with a championship trophy on the line. He emphasized that the players were purely celebrating their own hard-fought achievement.
Mohit also mentioned that the Indian squad did not take Pakistan's earlier celebrations personally when Pakistan beat them in the group stage.
"It is natural. It was an India vs Pakistan match, and additionally, a final. The way they celebrated after beating us in the league stage. Actually, we were not even taking their celebration personally. We were thinking that they were celebrating their own victory. It doesn't matter what they do.
"We did likewise. We were celebrating our own victory. It had emotions, aggression, and everything. We weren't doing it to show them anything. We were celebrating among ourselves, and everything was natural," Mohit said.
Chasing a massive target of 338, India U19 started strongly thanks to 95-run opening stand between captain Lakshya Raichandani (80) and Aaryavir Sehwag (58). However, a middle-order collapse saw the team slip into deep trouble.
India U19 looked down and out at 252/8, still needing 86 runs for victory. Amidst intense pressure, Manal Chauhan (47 off 32) and Mohit Ulva (49* off 26 balls) revived the chase with a crucial 57-run stand.
Needing eight runs off the final over with one wicket in hand and three runs off the final ball, Mohit charged down the track against Ahmed Hussain and smashed a boundary over extra cover to seal the championship.
As soon as the winning shot was hit, the Indian players sprinted onto the pitch in jubilation. Some of the youngsters also broke into aggressive celebrations in front of their Pakistani counterparts, requiring the intervention of support staff members on several occasions.
Recalling the epic finish, Mohit remarked: "Actually, I was completely zoned out after hitting three runs on one ball with a four. I didn't know that everyone was running to me; everything was happening. "It was done; I finished the game. Until it was over, I believed that I would finish it. But after I did it, I couldn't believe that I had finished it. So, I was a little zoned out."
"After a while, I realised that it was actually over. Everyone was getting up, everyone was celebrating. So, I celebrated a little. I went to the supporters of India, who were sitting there the whole day. I went to them and celebrated with them. It's a very good feeling. Even now, it's a very good feeling for me. Because for my family, for my country, for India, it's a good feeling to win such a match," he added.
Mohit Ulva shared that the dressing room remained confident of pulling off the chase despite losing their 8th wicket in the 42nd over.
"No one had any doubt that we wouldn't be able to do it. Everyone knew that our team had the capability to do it. I was there when we were already 8 wickets down.
"Sir gave me the confidence that if I play the last ball, I'll do it. Manal was playing; I talked to him. Manal told me to stay till the end. If any one of us plays the last ball, we'll win. Whatever Manal and I planned, whatever we thought, at that moment, it happened. Actually, our execution was on point.
"We needed a lot of luck in that. Because anything can happen out of the box. We thought that if this plan was going on, they might even bluff in the plan. But they didn't. Everything went on point, as we had planned. At that time, I was very calm. I was feeling good inside. It was a natural moment. It was a natural celebration for me," he said.