NEW DELHI: Pakistan drew first blood in the high-voltage ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025 clash against India as pacer Mohammad Sayyam produced an early breakthrough to dismiss the in-form Vaibhav Suryavanshi for just five runs at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!There was wild celebration from the Pakistan camp as Sayyam struck with a decisive delivery to remove India’s most dangerous batter cheaply.
The Pakistan dugout rose to its feet and applauded as Suryavanshi, who had tormented bowlers in the previous match, was sent back early. Sayyam bowled a probing delivery that Suryavanshi failed to judge properly, resulting in a simple catch to the bowler in his follow-through.After completing the catch, Sayyam threw the ball into the air and leapt in celebration, with his teammates rushing in to hug him as Pakistan celebrated a massive early success against their arch-rivals.Earlier, Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf won the toss and opted to bowl first. The much-anticipated India U19 vs Pakistan U19 contest was reduced to 49 overs per side after rain delayed the start of play.Watch the video hereIndia, led by Ayush Mhatre, entered the match brimming with confidence after registering a commanding 234-run victory over UAE in their tournament opener on December 12. Suryavanshi had been the standout performer in that match, earning the Player of the Match award for his sensational 171 off 95 balls, an innings that featured nine fours and 14 sixes. His knock powered India to a mammoth 433 for 6, before UAE were restricted to 199 for 7.Pakistan U19, meanwhile, also came into the contest on the back of a dominant opening win. They thrashed Malaysia U19 by 297 runs, with Sameer Minhas producing a superb unbeaten 177 off 148 deliveries, including 11 fours and eight sixes, to earn the Player of the Match honour.Minhas’ innings helped Pakistan post 345 for 3, after which Malaysia were skittled out for just 48 runs, with Mohammad Sayyam and Ali Raza picking up three wickets apiece, underlining Pakistan’s bowling firepower ahead of the India clash.Pakistan U19 (Playing XI): Usman Khan, Sameer Minhas, Ali Hassan Baloch, Ahmed Hussain, Farhan Yousaf(captain), Hamza Zahoor(wicketkeeper), Huzaifa Ahsan, Niqab Shafiq, Abdul Subhan, Mohammad Sayyam, Ali Raza.India U19 (Playing XI): Ayush Mhatre (captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vihaan Malhotra, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu(wicketkeeper), Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Kishan Kumar Singh, Henil Patel.
