ICC U19 World Cup 2018: SF 2- India and Pakistan renew rivalry on junior level, minus the hype

The winner of the match will play Australia U19 in the final.

Shubman Gill will be the main player for India along with captain Shaw | Getty

Tomorrow India and Pakistan will play in the second semi-final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2018 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The winner of the match will face Australia in the finals, who defeated a spirited Afghanistan team in the first semi-finals.

India has been unbeaten in the tournament so far, while Pakistan lost one match during the league stages. The match will be devoid of the usual fanfare that you might experience in an India-Pakistan match. Most of the players have not experienced the true passion and feel of that magnitude, though, they are aware of what it means to play in such a match at the international level.

Both India and Pakistan have played some unforgettable matches in the U19 World Cup in the past. Pakistan defeated India in the finals of the 2006 edition, in the semi-final in 2004 and 2010. India has defeated Pakistan in 2012 and 2014.

India is riding on the wave created by their fast bowlers Nagarkoti and Mavi, spinners Roy and Abhishek and the batting strength of Shaw, Gill, Kalra, Parag and others who have got chance to bat in the tournament. Gill has scored 239 runs at an average of 119.50 and Shaw has 191 runs at an average of 95.50. Anukul Roy has been the leading wicket-taker for India with 11 wickets.

Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan U19 | Getty

Pakistan, on the other hand, has the likes of Ali Zaryab Asif and Rohail Nazir going great guns with the bat for them. Shaheen Shah Afridi has picked up 11 wickets with a best of 6/15 for Pakistan, while Hasan Khan has picked up 7 wickets.

With the prize of a spot in the finals of the U19 World Cup on the line, players from both the sides will definitely play the game with the intensity that is shown in the senior games and will put forth a match worthy of such an occasion.

Squads:

India U19: Prithvi Shaw(c), Manjot Kalra, Shubman Gill, Harvik Desai(w), Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Anukul Sudhakar Roy, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh, Ishan Porel, Aryan Juyal, Arshdeep Singh, Pankaj Yadav, Himanshu Rana, Aditya Thakare

Pakistan U19: Muhammad Zaid Alam, Rohail Nazir(w), Ammad Alam, Hasan Khan(c), Mohammad Taha, Saad Khan, Muhammad Musa, Shaheen Afridi, Suleman Shafqat, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Shah, Mohammad Ali Khan, Munir Riaz, Ali Zaryab, Muhammad Mohsin Khan

 

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 29 Jan, 2018

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