India are through to the final! They complete their biggest ever chase at the U19 World Cups, achieving 311 in just 41.1 overs. A brilliant century from Aaron George anchored India's chase, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mhatre also slammed half-centuries. Hard luck for Afghanistan, but reaching the semi-final itself is a big achievement for a nation which has been making giant strides at the senior and U19 level. India will take on England in the final on Friday, with both teams in contention to be crowned as invincible champions.
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George cuts this straight to point! Wahidullah Zadran gets his first wicket of the match and George is visibly disappointed. He wanted to finish this, even though India's win is only a matter of time. George gets a standing ovation from his teammates.

Aaron George c sub (Nazifullah Amiri) b Wahidullah Zadran 115 (104)

IND: 300/3 (39.3)

George has stepped on the gas! Back-to-back boundaries for the Indian opener mean just 21 runs are required now. An Indian victory is now just a matter of time.

IND: 290/2 (37.4)

100 for Aaron George! He gets there finally with a boundary. Reaches the landmark in just 95 balls.

IND: 279/2 (38.5)

Aziz takes a blinder off his own bowling but it is a no ball! What a let-off for Vihaan Malhotra and India. It was fired back at the bowler and Aziz grabs it in his follow-through. However, he has overstepped there.

IND: 269/2 (35.3)

578 - This is the highest match aggregate involving India and Afghanistan in Youth ODIs.

Aaron George moves to 95 with two boundaries in the 34th over. He needs just five to complete his ton, and India require 51 runs from 96 balls. This has been a dominant performance from India under pressure.

IND: 260/2 (33.5)

Effortless six from the young man! Aaron George is 15 runs short of what would be a commendable century in a pressure chase. India now need fewer than 80 runs to book their place in Friday's final against England.

IND: 240/2 (30.5)

Volume of runs may be low, but Ayush Mhatre looks in fine touch.
Intent monster, another confident start, and batting like he has been fine form all along.
Quality talent, no doubt. #under19worldcup pic.twitter.com/JfNyLdvn2G

— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) February 4, 2026

OUT! The strong partnership between Ayush Mhatre and Aaron George comes to an end as Nooristani Omarzai dismissed the former for 62. Mhatre hammers it hard in search for a six but the shot lands into the hands of Osman Sadat at the mid-wicket. Second wicket gone for India. 

IND U19 204/2 (26.2 overs)

Both Ayush Mhatre and Aaron George are forming a good partnership. In the previous over of Nooristani Omarzai, the duo scored five runs. With this, India have breached the 200-run mark. 

IND U19 201/1 (25 overs)

FIFTY!!! Ayush Mhatre takes a single on Nooristani Omarzai's delivery and completes his half-century. He brings up his fifty in 43 balls as India continue to dominate the game. What a terrific partnership between Mhatre and Aaron George. 

IND U19 185/1 (22.1 overs)

FIFTY!!! Aaron George hits a boundary on Khatir Stanikzai's delivery and brings up his half-century in style. He takes 52 deliveries to complete his half-century. An important knock for India from George, who was earlier getting out for low scores. 

IND U19 170/1 (20.3 overs)

Ayush Mhatre is just unstoppable now. His mature innings is becoming the game-changer for India. In the previous over of Roohullah Arab, he hammered two big sixes and breached the 40-run mark. He is now inching towards his half-century. 

IND U19 163/1 (20 overs)

FOUR!!! Ayush Mhatre hits two boundaries in the previous over of Roohullah Arab. The first boundary came after Mhatre placed a shot in front of the square. Later, he hit swept it backward of square on the on-side. 10 runs in the over. 

IND U19 147/1 (18 overs)

Aaron George has breached the 40-run mark and now inching towards his half-century. He is forming a good partnership with Ayush Mhatre and taking India ahead in the game. 

IND U19 133/1 (16 overs)

Ayush Mhatre and Aaron George's partnership is changing the momentum of the game. After India got a blistering start because of Vaibhav Suryavanshi., Mhatre and George are taking the team ahead with their partnership. In the previous over of Nooristani Omarzai, the duo scored 12 runs. This included a six and a boundary from George. 

IND U19 122/1 (14 overs)

Afghanistan finally take a sigh of relief as Khatir Stanikzai bowls an economical over and controls the flow of runs. In his previous over, he conceded just one run as Ayush Mhatre and Aaron George showed a cautious approach. 

IND U19 110/1 (13 overs)

SIX!!! Ayush Mhatre is playing a good knock. In the previous over of Nooristani Omarzai, Mhatre hit a six and a boundary as the Afghanistan pacer conceded 11 runs. India need both Mhatre and Aaron George to continue with this hitting. 

IND U19 109/1 (12 overs)

After Vaibhav Suryavanshi's dismissal, skipper Ayush Mhatre has joined hands with Aaron George at the crease. Mhatre needs to play a captain's knock for the team in the massive run chase of 311. In the previous over of Khatir Stanikzai, the duo scored of seven runs. 

IND U19 98/1 (11 overs)

OUT!!! Oh No! Vaibhav Suryavanshi's fine innings comes to a sudden end as he becomes a prey of Nooristani Omarzai and departs for 68 off 33 balls. Going for another big hit, Suryavanshi plays a pull shot but fails to time it properly. As a result, the ball lands into the hands of Osman Sadat at the mid-wicket. 

IND U19 90/1 (9.3 overs)

SIX!!! Nooristani Omarzai comes at the receiving end now and gets hit for a huge maximum by Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The bowler misses the yorker as Suryavanshi places a shot towards the leg side and sends the ball into the crowd. 

IND U19 90/0 (9.1 overs)

The carnage continues as Vaibhav Suryavanshi is not showing any mercy on Afghanistan bowlers. This time, Abdul Aziz faces the heat again and gets hit for nine runs. This includes two boundaries from Suryavanshi. The 14-year-old batting sensation is taking Team India ahead on his shoulders. 

IND U19 84/0 (9 overs)

FIFTY!!! Just can't believe this. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is looking at his absolute best today. In the previous over of Abdul Aziz, he hits three boundaries and a six and completes his half-century in 24 balls. What a batting as Aziz concedes 18 runs. 

IND U19 73/0 (7 overs)

India are confidently moving ahead in the run-chase of 311 with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George forming a terrific partnership. In the first six over, India have scored 55 runs. Suryavanshi has scored 34 off 18, while George has scored 20 off 18. 

IND U19 55/0 (6 overs)

India's chase has begun on the right footing! In the first five overs, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George have taken India to 36/0. With 311 needed to reach the final, India could not have wished for a better start. The duo now needs to bat for long.

349/6 - IND vs NAM, Fatullah, 2016 QF

340/5 - AUS vs IRE, Chattogram, 2004 (Plate SF)

310/4 - AFG vs IND, Harare, 2026 SF

309/6 - AFG vs NZ, Christchurch, 2018 QF

Afghanistan end their innings at 310/4 in 50 overs against India in the U19 World Cup 2026, semi-final match. For Afghanistan, Uzairullah Niazai remained unbeaten at 101, while Faisal Shinozada scored 110. For India, Deepesh Devendran and Kanishk Chouhan scalped two wickets each. India now need 311 runs to win. 

WHAT A MOMENT!!! Uzairullah Niazai takes a double on Henil Patel's delivery and completes his century. While completing the second run, Uzairullah had to make a terrific dive to avoid the run out. Afghanistan have also crossed the 300-run mark. 

AFG U19 307/4 (49.4 overs)

OUT!!! Kanishk Chouhan dismissed Azizullah Miakhil for 12. Fourth wicket gone for Afghanistan. 

AFG U19 295/4 (48.3 overs)

SIX!!! Uzairullah Niazai hits a brilliant boundary on RS Amrbish's delivery. Niazai gets forward and hammers it hard towards the deep square leg. Afghanistan have crossed the 280-run mark and now aim to go past 

AFG U19 283/3 (47.1 overs)

OUT!!! Deepesh Devendran dismisses Faisal Shinozada for 110. Hard length on middle, Faisal Shinozada backs away and looks to pull, too much room he made and he misses. The ball then rattles the middle stump. However, the damage is now done as Afghanistan are reaching a good total now. 

AFG U19 265/3 (45.4 overs)

Uzairullah Niazai is just unstoppable today. This time, Henil Patel faces the heat and leaks 11 runs in the over. This includes two brilliant boundaries from Uzairullah Niazai. 

AFG U19 253/2 (45 overs)

WOAH!!! Just awesome batting. A ruthless hitting from Uzairullah Niazai and RS Ambrish faces the wrath. In the previous over of the pacer, Niazai hits a six and three boundaries as Niazai leaks 21 runs. 

AFG U19 242/2 (44 overs)

CENTURY!!! Faisal Shinozada slams century in 86 balls. Terrific batting from the Afghanistan star. He does Cristiano Ronaldo's SIUUUUUU Celebrations. 

AFG U19 217/2 (42.1 overs)

Fasial Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai are at their absolute best. The duo is taking Afghanistan ahead in the game with it's fiery partnership. In the previous over of Deepesh Devendran, both the batters hit one boundary each. 

AFG U19 215/2 (42 overs)

40 overs are up and Afghanistan are clearly dominating the proceedings. The duo of Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada is forming a terrific partnership. Shinozada is batting at 89 and inching towards his ton. The duo now aims to take Afghanistan towards a good total by the end of the innings. 

AFG U19 199/2 (40 overs)

Faisal Shinozada is inching towards his century. He is currently batting at 80 and taking Afghanistan ahead in the game. In the previous over of Ayush Mhatre, Faisal hits another boundary. He gets low and reverse-laps it fine, runs away wide of short third man.

AFG U19 182/2 (37 overs)

Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai are forming a terrific partnership. In the previous over of Ayush Mhatre, the duo scored seven runs. This include a boundary from Uzairullah Niazai. India need another wicket at the earliest. 

AFG U19 170/2 (35 overs)

What just happened here? Uzairullah Niazai plays a shot on Deepesh Devendran's delivery and runs for single. However, Faisal Shinozada denies the call. As Niazi tries to come back in, Devendran gets the ball and throws it towards the striker's end to run out Niazai. He misses the aim and wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu gets it but also ends up missing it. Niazai turns out to be lucky. 

AFG U19 152/2 (31.3 overs)

Despite getting a minor neck injury, Khilan Patel immediately comes out to bowl. In this over, he concedes just two runs as India are looking for more wickets. 

AFG U19 147/2 (31 overs)

Khilan Patel picks up an injury. Henil Patel gets hit for a boundary by Uzairullah Niazai. Khilan makes a brilliant dive but fails to stop the ball from crossing the line. As a result, Khilan suffers a neck injury. The physio rushes onto the field and checks on him. 

AFG U19 144/2 (29.3 overs)

FIFTY!!! Faisal Shinozada takes a double on Kanishk Chouhan's delivery and completes his half-century. He brings up his half-century in 49 balls. Terrific batting from Faisal. 

AFG U19 132/2 (28.1 overs)

FOUR!!! Faisal Shinozada hits a boundary on Kanishk Chouhan's delivery. Shinozada gets inside the line and improvises the sweep, lapped it fine and beats short fine to his right. He now need just three runs to complete his half-century. 

AFG 125/2 (26.2 overs)

OUT!!! The partnership has been broken as Kanishk Chouhan dismisses Osman Sadat for 39. Kanishk, who has been bought by RCB in the IPL auction, traps Osman with his ultimate spin. Osman tries to go for a big hit but the ball lands into the hands of Deepesh Devendran at the long-off. Second wicket gone for Afghanistan. 

AFG U19 117/2 (24.1 overs)

Both Faisal Shinozada and Osman Sadat are nearing their respective half-centuries. In the previous over of Kanishk Chouhan, the duo scored 11 runs. This included one boundary from both the batters. 

AFG U19 110/1 (22 overs)

As Fasial Shinozada continues to dominate the game, India skipper Ayush Mhatre changes the strategy. He hands over the ball to spinner Kanishk Chouhan. In his first over, Chouhan leaked six runs. 

AFG U19 91/1 (19 overs)

Oh No! What have you done, Abhigyan Kundu? Faisal Shinozada misses a delivery from Deepesh Devendran, who goes straight behind the stump. The ball then goes through between the legs of wicketkeeper Kundu before hitting his helmet. As a result, Afghanistan get five runs of penalty. 

AFG U19 80/1 (17 overs)

Faisal Shinozada is delivering right from the very beginning. After hitting two boundaries in his first over against Deepesh Devendran, Shinozada hits two more in the previous over of spinner Khilan Patel. India need to remove Shinozada at the earliest. 

AFG U19 74/1 (16 overs)

Despite losing the wicket of Khalid Ahmadzai, Afghanistan still get the momentum. On the very next delivery of the wicket, Faisal Shinozada enters the crease and hits a boundary. Two balls later, he gets another as Deepesh Devendran concedes eight runs. 

AFG U19 61/1 (13 overs)

OUT!!!! Deepesh Devendran provides India with the first breakthrough of the day as he dismisses Khalid Ahmadzai for 31. Angling towards the off stump, the ball hits the faint edge of the bat as Abhigyan Kundu makes no mistake and takes an excellent catch behind the stumps. A terrific wicket and Deepesh also gives a send-off to Khalid. 

AFG U19 53/1 (12.2 overs)

Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai have completed their fifty-run partnership. The duo is playing a mature brand of cricket as Afghanistan are clearly holding an edge over India in the game. 

AFG U19 51/0 (11.2 overs)

SIX! What a shot from Khalid Ahmadza, who unleashes his brutal side on Henil Patel. Making a use of the length ball, Khalid steps out and hammers it hard towards the mid-on. The ball lands straight into the crowd as Afghanistan end the powerplay on a dominating note. 

AFG U19 42/0 (10 overs)

OHHH! India appeal loudly for a caught behind, but the on-field umpire shows no interest and turns it down. It initially appeared that Osman Sadat had edged Deepesh Devendran’s delivery before wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu completed the catch. However, replays confirmed that the ball did not touch the bat, and Osman was declared safe.

AFG U19 34/0 (8.3 overs)

Brilliant batting from Khalid Ahmadzai as he is looking in good touch with the bat today. In the previous over of RS Amrbish, he hit two terrific boundaries as the Indian pacer conceded 9 runs. Solid start for Afghanistan as India need a wicket over here to bounce back. 

AFG U19 33/0 (7 overs)

Six overs are up and the game is very well balanced right now. The Indian bowlers are desperate for a wicket as Afghanistan batters Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai are forming a good partnership. They are getting boundaries at regular intervals and taking their side ahead. 

AFG U19 24/0 (6 overs)

WOAH!!! Osman Sadat hits a terrific boundary on Henil Patel's delivery. A good length delivery on the off stump, Osman hits it towards the mid-wicket as the ball races across the boundary line for a four. 

AFG U19 17/0 (3.3 overs)

After conceding a boundary in the first over, RS Amrbish makes a good comeback and bowls an economical over. This time, he conceded just three runs. Afghanistan openers Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai are playing mature cricket and rushing things. They are steadily taking Afghanistan ahead in the game. 

AFG U19 13/0 (3 overs)

FOUR!!! Khalid Ahmadzai hits a brilliant boundary on Henil Patel's delivery. Khalid gets a good stride forward, plays the neatest of cover drives and mid-off had no chance to the left.

AFG U19 10/0 (2 overs)

Afghanistan are off to a good start in the match against India. In the first over of RS Ambrish, the openers Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai scored six runs. This included a boundary from Osman. A good over for Afghanistan. 

AFG U19 6/0 (1 overs)

The U19 World Cup 2026, semi-final match between India and Afghanistan finally begins. For Afghanistan, Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai have opened the proceedings. On the other hand, RS Ambrish will be bowling the first over for India. 

Players of both the teams are out on the field for their respective national anthems. The U19 World Cup 2026 match between India and Afghanistan shall begin shortly. Stay tuned with us. 

"The boys are really talented, they come prepared and stuff like that, but they're not really used to this bigger stage ​(playing in the WC). It's a step up, international cricket. (on the coaching philosophy). It's something where people like me can contribute very well. So it's all about the process and what process works for them, being aware of what works for them and they need to continue that because as they go higher up, there are many more distractions, doubts that many more people talking to you about the game, about everything else. So they need to stick to the process, be focused on what works for them. (on the team management) They totally do because both of these guys (Sunil Joshi and VVS Laxman) are very approachable and they are open to anybody who wants to talk anything about cricket. We all make it easy for the boys to just come over and talk to us," said Hrishikesh Kanitkar. 

Afghanistan U19 (Playing XI): Osman Sadat, Khalid Ahmadzai, Faisal Shinozada, Uzairullah Niazai, Mahboob Khan(w/c), Azizullah Miakhil, Abdul Aziz, Khatir Stanikzai, Roohullah Arab, Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran.

India U19 (Playing XI): Aaron George, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre(c), Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu(w), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran

"Really happy with the toss. Wicket looks good as well. The boys are doing really well and the attitude they are showing on the field is really brilliant. We just need to play simple cricket and play to the potential today. We are playing the same team for us," said India skipper Ayush Mhatre. 

"We will bat first. Pitch looks good for batting, so we want to bat. Faisal Khan is a very good batter. He has performed very well for the team. We prepared well for this game and hopefully we will make it to the final as well. The wicket is good for batting and it will offer some help for the bowlers as well," said Afghanistan skipper Mahboob Khan. 

Afghanistan skipper Mahboob Khan wins the toss, opts to bat against India in the U19 World Cup 2026, semi-final match. 

Afghanistan too has had a fairly good tournament, winning four out of their five games, their only loss coming against Sri Lanka by four wickets. Going by form and overall composition, India will hold an edge over the Afghans in the knock-out game.

Five-time champions India sealed their place in the semifinals of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup with a 58-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Queens Sports Club on Sunday, topping their Super Sixes group in the process.

Skipper Ayush Mhatre has been consistent with the ball in hand, picking up six wickets with his off-break from five games but there is room for improvement on the batting front. He managed just 99 runs from five games with 53 being his highest.

Wicket-keeper batter Abhigyan Kundu has been the star performer for India with the bat as the left-hander has so far amassed 199 runs from five games with two half centuries to his name. All-rounder Vihaan Malhotra (172 runs from 5 games) is the other Indian batter to look out for. He struck the lone century (109 not out) against Zimbabwe in group stages. 

14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be eager to register a big score in the semi-final match against Afghanistan. The big-hitting opener (196 runs in 5 matches with 2 fifties) too has been in good form but the team management would want him to convert his half-centuries into three-figure scores.

India have had a great run in the tournament, having won all their five matches quite comfortably, including a 58-run win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Super Six stage.

Unbeaten so far in the tournament, a confident and all-round India will be overwhelming favourites against Afghanistan in the semifinal. India are the most successful team in the history of the event, having annexed the title five times (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022), followed by Australia, who have won the trophy four times.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the U19 World Cup 2026, Semi-Final match between India and Afghanistan, straight from the Harare Sports Club, Harare. Stay tuned for all the live updates.