IND vs PAK U19 Asia Cup: Arjun Rajput's 107 in Vain as Hamza Zahoor's 100* Wins It for Pakistan

Pakistan win a thriller at Al Amerat

The India vs Pakistan U19 Group A match at the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup went to Pakistan by three wickets on Sunday, 8 November 2026, at Al Amerat in Oman. India chose to bat and were bowled out for 208 in 46.3 overs despite Arjun Rajput's 107 off 85 balls. Pakistan slipped to 61 for 5 in reply, then wicketkeeper Hamza Zahoor made 100 not out off 108 balls from No. 7 and finished the chase with 11 balls left (209 for 7 in 48.1 overs). Zahoor was named Player of the Match.

Brief scores: India U19 208 (Arjun Rajput 107, Kavya Patel 23; Ali Raza 3-37, Rizwanullah 3-24, Niqab Shafiq 3-42) lost to Pakistan U19 209/7 in 48.1 overs (Hamza Zahoor 100*, Hasnain Abbas Dar 38; Manal Chauhan 3-32, Mohit Ulva 2-45) by three wickets.

Rajput's rescue act

India's top order was blown away by Pakistan's new-ball bowlers. Captain Lakshya Raichandani, unbeaten on 53 against Nepal two days earlier, was bowled by Ali Raza for a duck off the second ball of the match. VK Vineeth (8) and Yashbardhan Chauhan (1) followed, leaving India 22 for 3. Aaryavir Sehwag, who made 70 not out in the 10-wicket win over Nepal, was caught at deep midwicket off Niqab Shafiq for 22, and India were 42 for 4.

Rajput, a left-hander from Jalandhar who also bowls off-spin, counter-attacked. He reached fifty off 48 balls and a hundred off 80, finishing with 11 fours and five sixes. Anvay Dravid made 10, and Rajput then added 64 for the sixth wicket with Manal Chauhan. When Rajput was caught by Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf off Rizwanullah in the 36th over, India were 170 for 7. The last three wickets added 38, with Kavya Patel making 23. Pakistan's three main bowlers shared nine wickets, three each.

Zahoor turns 61 for 5 into victory

India's bowlers looked to have defended the total. Ishan Sood and Mohit Ulva had both openers caught behind by Dravid. Manal Chauhan bowled Abdul Qadir, Patel removed Farhan Yousaf for 2, and Chauhan trapped Ahmed Hussain lbw. Pakistan had lost three wickets for six runs to be 61 for 5 in the 15th over.

Zahoor and Hasnain Abbas Dar then batted for 23 overs together and added 107 for the sixth wicket. Dar was the slower partner (38 off 67) before Chauhan had him caught by Rajput. Ulva removed Mohammad Sayyam at 183 for 7, but Zahoor stayed calm. Needing four runs for his hundred and four for the win, he drove a four off the first ball of the 49th over to do both. He hit ten fours and three sixes in all. Manal Chauhan's 3 for 32 from 10 overs were India's best figures.

India Today noted that this was Pakistan's second straight win over India at the U19 Asia Cup, after Sameer Minhas's 171 beat them in Dubai at the previous edition.

India vs UAE is now a knockout

The UAE beat Nepal by seven wickets earlier on Sunday. That leaves the Group A table as Pakistan 4 points, India 2, UAE 2, Nepal 0, with one round of games left. Only the top two teams reach the semi-finals on 12 November.

So India's game against the UAE on Tuesday, 10 November (10.30am IST) is effectively a knockout. A win sends India through with Pakistan. A defeat would put the UAE through instead, whatever Pakistan do against Nepal.

For the full squad and schedule, see our India U19 Asia Cup 2026 squad guide and the U19 Asia Cup 2026 results page. The senior India A side meets Pakistan A on 22 November at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo scorecard; PTI via The Hindu; IANS; India Today; SportsAdda (8 Nov 2026). All figures are from those reports and the official scorecard.