Cricket
Aaron helps India thrash Pak by 90 runs in their Asia Cup clash
Aaron George stamped his class with a workman-like half-century which helped India score a comfortable 90-run win over Pakistan in the Under-19s Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
It was billed to be yet another high-profile contest in the Asia Cup but George, Deepesh Devendran and all-rounder Kanishk Chouhan turned the game into a one-sided affair with the neighbouring country no match to the Indians.
The game was almost over by the 14th over of the Pakistan chase as the Indian bowlers struck at regular intervals. Devendran struck thrice as Pakistan were reduced to 30 for four. Deepesh struck in the 9th over of the game as he had opener Sameer Minhas (9) caught by substitute N Pushpak. Deepesh then had Ali Hassan Baloch (0) caught behind by Abhigyan Kundu and later removed Ahmed Hussain (4) in a similar fashion. Chouhan joined the party by removing the other opener Usman Khan (16), caught by skipper Ayush Mhatre.
Deepesh Devendran
A brief revival between captain Farhan Yousaf and Huzaifa Ahsan gave Pakistan some hope. But Chouhan bagged his second of three wickets by dismissing the Pakistan skipper and breaking the 47-run stand. Yousaf had made 23.
Ahsan waged a lone battle as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. The Indian bowlers were relentless and didn’t allow the rival batters to settle down. Pakistan were bowled out for 150 with Ahsan making a topscore of 70 off 83 balls with nine fours and two sixes. Only three batters got into double figures.
Aaron, Chouhan prop up India total
Earlier, India could have had a much bigger total to defend but lost their way with the bat. Aftrer being asked to bat first, India were comfortably placed, despite the early loss of star batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi (5), at 73 for one in nine overs. In the next over, skpper Mhatre fell after making a 25-ball 38 and the momentum shifted. India slowed down a bit as they lost three wickets in a 10-ove period to leave them at 113 for four.
George, who leads the Hyderabad U-19 side, then took charge of the proceedings and in Kundu found an able ally. The due added 60, the highest partnership of the game, for the fifth wicket. However, Abdul Subhan hit back strongly to get rid of both the batters within a span of three balls. Subhan first had Kundu caught behind for 22 to start the 32nd over. Two balls later, Subhan got George, who finished with 85 off 88 deliveries with 12 fours and a six. George had also got 69 in the previous game against the UAE.
Kanishk Chouhan
India were delicately 174 for 6 and that is when Chouhan played a crucial knock. His run-a-ball 46 from No. 7 dragged the total to 240. Chouhan smashed two fours and three sixes to play what turned out to be a match-winning innings, and take home the Man of the Match award for his all-round show.
Scoreboard
India U-19s: Ayush Mhatre c Zahoor b Sayyam 38, Vaibhav Suryavanshi c & b Sayyam 5, Aaron George c Yousaf b Subhan 85, Vihaan Malhotra c & b Shafiq 12, Vedant Trivedi c A Hussain b Shafiq 7, Abhigyan Kundu c Zahoor b Subhan 22, Kanishk Chouhan c Minhas b A Hussain 46, Khilan Patel b Sayyam 6, Henil Patel c Zahoor b Raza 12, Deepesh Devendran c Minhas b Subhan 1, Kishan Singh (not out) 0; Extras: (NB1, W5) 6. Total: (All out in 46.1 overs) 240.
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-78, 3-105, 4-113, 5-173, 6-174, 7-207, 8-238, 9-240.
Bowling: Ali Raza 9-1-43-1, Mohd Sayyam 9-0-67-3, Abdul Subhan 9.1-0-42-3, Niqab Shafiq 9-1-38-2, Ahmed Hussain 7-0-34-1, Huzaifa Ahsan 3-0-16-0.
Pakistan U-19s: Usman Khan c Mhatre b Chouhan 16, Sameer Minhas c sub (Pushpak) b Deepesh 9, AH Baloch c Kundu b Deepesh 0, Ahmed Hussain c Kundu b Deepesh 4, Farhan Yousaf c sub (Pushpak) b Suryavanshi 23, Huzaifa Ahsan c Suryavanshi b Chouhan 70, Hamza Zahoor c Malhotra b K Patel 4, Abdul Subhan st Kundu b Chouhan 6, Mohd Sayyam c Mhatre b Singh 2, Niqab Shafiq (not out) 2, Ali Raza c K Patel b Singh 6; Extras: (B4, NB1, W3) 8. Total: (All out in 41.2 overs) 150.
Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-24, 3-30, 4-30, 5-77, 6-109, 7-129, 8-138, 9-143.
Bowling: K Singh 7.2-1-33-2, H Patel 8-2-25-0, D Devendran 7-0-16-3, K Chouhan 10-1-33-3, K Patel 8-1-33-1, V Suryavanshi 1-0-6-1.