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The India U19 team is all set to play another final in their history, making their 10th final appearance overall in the history of this U19 tournament. They defeated the Afghanistan U19 team by 7 wickets while chasing 311 runs, courtesy of the rising opener Aaron George, who scored 115 from 104 runs to help the team seal a comfortable victory. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and skipper Ayush Mhatre also scored their respective half-centuries. 

The Indian team stormed into the final match after scripting history, chasing the highest ever successful chase in a knockout encounter of the U19 World Cup and also India’s highest chase in Youth ODIs. 

While batting first, Afghanistan U19 batters performed brilliantly in a high-pressure semi-final match, scoring 310 runs for 4 wickets in their 50 overs. The batting sensation duo of Faisal Shinozada and Azizullah Miakhil scored 110 and 101* to help the team reach a challenging total. Kanish Chouhan and Deepesh Devendran were the only Indian bowlers who were successful, scalping two wickets each.

Also Read: Has India Ever Successfully Chased a 300+ Target in U19 World Cup History?

The chase was set by talent prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 68 runs in 33 balls, including 9 fours and 4 sixes. The Aaron-Vaibhav duo added 90 runs for the first wicket in just 9.3 overs, hammering the Afghanistan U19 bowlers all over the stadium. 

After Sooyavanshi was dismissed, skipper Ayush Mhatre played a calm and composed knock and returned to his form, scoring 62 runs in 59 balls. But it was Aaron George’s day, scoring his first century in this World Cup. The century must have boosted the morale of this young batter ahead of the high-voltage finale against England. 

India and England will clash on Friday in the U19 World Cup final match. India has already won this tournament 5 times, while England has won just once. India’s latest U19 World Cup trophy was added in 2022 after they had beaten England by 4 wickets in the final. England’s last trophy came in 1988 after defeating New Zealand by 7 wickets; they have been trophyless since in this tournament. While the stage is set for another epic battle, tthe wo best teams from this edition will look to seal the trophy.