India vs Afghanistan U19 Asia Cup Semi-Final Preview: Aaryavir Sehwag Leads the Charge

India vs Afghanistan U19 is the semi-final everyone in Indian junior cricket will be watching today. India's Under-19 side meet Afghanistan at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Thursday, 12 November 2026, with a place in the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup final on Saturday, 14 November, at stake.

Match details: date, time and where to watch

• Match: Afghanistan U19 vs India U19, semi-final, ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026
• Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
• Start time: 10:30 am IST (9:00 am local)
• Venue: Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 2), Oman
• TV: Sony Sports Network
• Live streaming: SonyLIV app and website

The other semi-final is Pakistan vs Bangladesh on the same day. The winners meet in the final on 14 November.

How India got here

India finished second in Group A. They opened with a 10-wicket win over Nepal, bowling them out for 128 before captain Lakshya Raichandani and Aaryavir Sehwag knocked off the runs. Then came a three-wicket defeat to Pakistan, a game in which India were bowled out for 208 and Arjun Rajput's 107 was matched by a Hamza Zahoor hundred.

That left India needing to beat the UAE, and they did it in style. Aaryavir Sehwag made 160 off 168 balls, India posted 309 for 7, and the UAE were bowled out for 239 to give India a 70-run win.

Aaryavir Sehwag: the tournament's top run-scorer

The son of former India opener Virender Sehwag goes into the semi-final as the leading run-scorer of the tournament, with 252 runs in three innings (70 not out, 22 and 160), as reported by PTI. The way he built the 160, starting slowly and then cutting loose after his hundred, showed a maturity that India will need against a quality spin attack.

He is not the only one contributing. Rajput's century against Pakistan came when the rest of the batting collapsed around him, and VK Vineeth made 67 in the 193-run stand with Aaryavir against the UAE.

With the ball, medium pacer Ishan Sood has eight wickets and left-arm spinner Manal Chauhan has five. Sood's ability to take wickets at the death, as he showed with 4 for 37 against the UAE, could be decisive.

Afghanistan: unbeaten and dangerous

Afghanistan topped Group B without losing a game, beating Bangladesh, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Their bowling is the big threat. Noor Ali Niazi has 13 wickets in the tournament, and Amir Hamza has chipped in with five. Faisal Rahimi and Subhan Zakhail have done most of the scoring.

Afghan junior sides have a reputation for squeezing opponents with spin, so India's top order, which looked shaky against Pakistan, faces its toughest test of the tournament so far.

Key battle

The match could come down to one contest: Aaryavir Sehwag against Noor Ali's spin in the first 20 overs. If India's openers get through that phase, the middle order has the firepower to set or chase a big total. If Afghanistan strike early, the pressure that undid India against Pakistan could return.

Squads

India U19: Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani (captain), Aaryavir Sehwag, VK Vineeth, Arjun Rajput, Yashbardhan Chauhan, Anvay Dravid (wicketkeeper), Manal Chauhan, Mohit Ulva, Aryan Savsani, Kavya Patel, Ishan Sood, Yashveer Goud, Kushagra Ojha, Rajat Baghel, Shavin Vinodh. (Full squad story)

Afghanistan U19: Sohail Khan (captain), Abidullah Nadarjan, Faridullah Ihsas, Subhan Zakhail, Noman Salarzai (wicketkeeper), Shah Faisal Rahimi, Tahir Sarwary, Amir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Abdullah Hamdard, Noor Ali Niazi, Sami Mubarez, Bilal Salimankhil, Lutfullah Mohammadi, Imran Mohammadi, Subhan Ali, Farid Zadran, Faisal Mubariz, Abidullah Abid, Hamza Khan Alikhil.

India's U19 Asia Cup record

India are the most successful side in the history of the U19 Asia Cup, with eight titles, including one shared. A win today would put them one step away from a ninth.

Sources: PTI via The Hindu, The Times of India, BCCI match centre. Follow the result on our cricket results page.