India booked their place in the semi-finals of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 after registering a commanding 58-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their final Super Six match at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, on Sunday.
The high-voltage encounter carried major implications for both sides, with Pakistan needing a big win to overtake India and sneak into the top four. However, the Indian team delivered a composed all-round performance to end Pakistan’s campaign.
Asked to bat first, five-time champions India recovered from an early collapse to post a competitive total of 252, driven by a resolute half-century from Vedant Trivedi.
India started cautiously as openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Aaron George added 47 runs for the first wicket. Suryavanshi, who made a brisk 30 off 22 balls, fell in the eighth over while attempting to accelerate. He had earlier survived a dropped catch and a run-out chance.
The dismissal triggered a brief collapse. Skipper Ayush Mhatre was dismissed for a duck off the final ball of the same over, while George was bowled on the first delivery of the ninth. India slipped from 47/0 to 47/3 in quick succession.
Vedant Trivedi then steadied the innings with a crucial 62-run partnership with Vihaan Malhotra, guiding India past the 100-run mark. Trivedi brought up his half-century in 74 balls and continued to anchor the innings, adding useful stands with Abhigyan Kundu and RS Ambrish before being dismissed for a well-made 68.
Lower-order contributions proved vital as Kanishk Chouhan (35) and Khilan Patel (21) stitched together a mature 50-run partnership for the eighth wicket, taking India beyond 250. The innings ended at 252 all out in 49.5 overs.
In reply, Pakistan needed to chase the target in 33.3 overs to qualify, but their innings never gained momentum. Openers Sameer Minhas and Hamza Zahoor began aggressively before Henil Patel trapped Minhas LBW in the fourth over.
Usman Khan and Hamza added 65 runs for the third wicket, but disciplined bowling, particularly from India’s spinners, kept the scoring rate under control. Hamza was eventually dismissed in unfortunate fashion when the ball rolled onto the stumps after striking his pad.
From 88/2, Pakistan struggled to accelerate and reached only 167/4 by the required cut-off point. Usman Khan top-scored with a sluggish 66 off 92 balls before being bowled by Mhatre.
Pakistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for 194 in 46.2 overs.
Ayush Mhatre starred with the ball, claiming 3/21, while Khilan Patel picked up 3/35.
With the win, India finished unbeaten at the top of Super Six Group 2 and advanced to the semi-finals, where they will face Group 1 runners-up Afghanistan on Wednesday. England and Australia are the other two teams to qualify for the semi-finals.
Scorecard:
India 252 all out (49.5 overs) – Vedant Trivedi 68; Abdul Subhan 3/33
Pakistan 194 all out (46.2 overs) – Usman Khan 66; Ayush Mhatre 3/21, Khilan Patel 3/35
India won by 58 runs