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Unbeaten truthful acold successful the tournament, a assured and all-round India volition beryllium overwhelming favourites against Afghanistan successful the semifinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup successful Harare connected Wednesday (February 4, 2026).
India are the astir palmy squad successful the past of the event, having annexed the rubric 5 times (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022), followed by Australia, who person won the trophy 4 times.
Come Wednesday (February 4, 2026), India volition look to instrumentality 1 measurement guardant towards a grounds sixth title.
India person had a large tally successful the tournament, having won each their 5 matches rather comfortably, including a 58-run triumph implicit arch-rivals Pakistan successful the Super Six stage.
Afghanistan excessively has had a reasonably bully tournament, winning 4 retired of their 5 games, their lone nonaccomplishment coming against Sri Lanka by 4 wickets.
Going by signifier and wide composition, India volition clasp an borderline implicit the Afghans successful the knock-out game.
Wicket-keeper batter Abhigyan Kundu has been the prima performer for India with the bat arsenic the left-hander has truthful acold amassed 199 runs from 5 games with 2 fractional centuries to his name.
Big-hitting opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi (196 runs successful 5 matches with 2 fifties) excessively has been successful bully signifier but the squad absorption would privation him to person his half-centuries into three-figure scores.
All-rounder Vihaan Malhotra (172 runs from 5 games) is the different Indian batter to look retired for. He struck the lone period (109 not out) against Zimbabwe successful radical stages.
Skipper Ayush Mhatre has been accordant with the shot successful hand, picking up six wickets with his off-break from 5 games but determination is country for betterment connected the batting front. He managed conscionable 99 runs from 5 games with 53 being his highest.
Opener Aaron Geroge's form, however, is simply a origin of interest for India arsenic the right-handed batter could negociate lone 46 runs from 3 outings.
The Indian bowling is spearheaded by right-arm accelerated bowlers Henil Patel and RS Ambrish. Both the pacers person been phenomenal upfront, scalping 11 and wickets respectively.
The duo would look for capable enactment from left-arm orthodox spinner Khilan Patel, who excessively has shone agleam with 8 scalps from 5 games.
Mhatre and Malhotra, who picked up 5 wickets truthful acold successful the tourney with his off-breaks too scoring India's lone century, volition besides look to lend with the ball.
Teams (from):
India U-19: Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Harvansh Pangalia, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi, Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Henil Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Udhav Mohan, Kishan Singh.
Afghanistan U-19: Mahboob Khan (c), Azizullah Miakhil, Faisal Shinozada, Khalid Ahmadzai, Osman Sadat, Uzairullah Niazai, Abdul Aziz, Aqil Khan, Khatir Stanikzai, Nazifullah Amiri, Nooristani Omarzai, Roohullah Arab, Salam Khan, Wahidullah Zadran, Zaitullah Shaheen.
Match starts astatine 1:00 PM IST.
