&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "History in Harare: India pull off record run chase to set up U-19 WC final vs England")
Indian Under-19 opener Aaron George, 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and captain Aayush Mhatre took it upon themselves to corner Afghanistan and complete the highest successful run chase (311) in ICC Men’s Under-19. India U-19 beat high-flying Afghanistan by seven wickets on Wednesday (Feb 4) in the second semifinal in Harare to seal the final date with England. While George completed his maiden U-19 WC hundred on the day it mattered, it was Sooryavanshi’s blitz start that put India on the front foot from the word go.
Chasing 311 after Afghanistan’s Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai hit respective yet stunning hundreds in the first innings, pushing India’s back against the wall, the Indian openers made light work of the run chase. The left-right combination continued to do wonders for the Boys in Blue, as Vaibhav and Aaron added 90 for the first wicket inside the 10th over.
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The left-handed Sooryavanshi was all over the Afghanistan bowlers, and after getting a couple of chances, he unleashed his wide range of shots to put the Afghan team on the backfoot. His dismissal on a quick-fire 68 off just 33 balls, including four maximums and nine fours, gave Afghanistan little hope, only for captain Mhatre to take the innings forward from that point. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener completed a crucial fifty (62 off 59 balls) while adding 114 runs for the second wicket.
After he got out, the player-in-form Vihaan Malhotra joined George in the middle, who brought up his first hundred in this competition, helping India close in on a historic run chase. He, however, got out on 115.
It was about time before the pair helped India complete the highest successful run chase in the Under-19 World Cup history, setting up a dream finale against England on Friday (Feb 6) in Harare.
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Meanwhile, Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Riding high on confidence and results, the Afghanistan openers added 53 for the first wicket before two centurions took charge and put their team’s nose in front.
