Hamza Zahoor's unbeaten 100 lifts Pakistan past India after U19 Asia Cup collapse

A century and a boundary finish a tense chase

Hamza Zahoor struck an unbeaten 100 from 108 balls as Pakistan recovered from 61 for five to beat India by three wickets in their ACC Under-19 Asia Cup Group A match at Al Amerat in Oman on November 8, 2026. His winning boundary brought up both his century and Pakistan's target, completing a recovery built around a partnership of 107 with Hasnain Abbas Dar.

Pakistan finished on 209 for seven in 48.1 overs after dismissing India for 208 in 46.3 overs. Zahoor, batting at number seven, turned a chase threatened by an early collapse into Pakistan's second victory in two matches. They moved to the top of the group with four points.

Arjun Rajput had earlier rescued India with 107 from 85 balls, including 11 fours and five sixes. His innings gave India something to defend after they slipped to 42 for four, and Manal Chauhan's three wickets then put them within reach of a win. Zahoor's ability to stay until the finish ultimately separated the two sides.

India's decision to bat meets immediate trouble

India captain Lakshya Raichandani won the toss and chose to bat, but Pakistan's bowlers quickly found movement and bounce. Raichandani was bowled by Ali Raza for a duck after facing two balls, leaving India without a run on the board when their first wicket fell.

VK Vineeth managed eight from 29 deliveries, while Yashbardhan Chauhan scored one from 11. By the 12th over, India were 22 for three. The difficulty was both keeping wickets intact and finding scoring opportunities: those two batters had used 40 deliveries for nine runs.

Aaryavir Sehwag stayed through the opening pressure, making 22 from 40 balls with one four and one six. His attempt to sweep left arm spinner Niqab Shafiq ended in a catch by Mohammad Sayyam at deep midwicket in the 17th over. India were then 42 for four, with much of their batting order already gone.

Rajput changes the pace of the innings

Rajput initially had to work through the same difficult conditions, but he began taking the attack to Pakistan. A six over deep midwicket and a four played over the off side against Ali Raza helped change the pace of India's innings. Instead of relying only on survival, he began making Pakistan defend the boundary.

Anvay Dravid contributed 10 from 16 balls during a partnership of 44 with Rajput. The wicketkeeper hit a boundary over extra cover before another attempt to score in that area ended in a catch off Shafiq. His dismissal left India at 86 for five before the halfway stage of their allotted 50 overs.

Sehwag and Dravid, sons of former India batters Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, attracted attention before the contest, but Rajput supplied the innings that kept India competitive. He found support from Manal Chauhan, whose 11 runs helped sustain a further partnership of 64.

Rajput reached his century in 80 balls and finished with 107 from 85. His 11 fours and five sixes produced 74 runs in boundaries, almost seven tenths of his individual score. He supplied just over half of India's eventual 208, showing how much of the scoring responsibility rested on him.

Pakistan's attack finishes the job

Rizwanullah ended Rajput's innings in the 36th over, leaving India at 170 for seven. India then lost Yashveer Goud and Mohit Ulva as they slipped to 195 for nine, putting the responsibility for the final runs on Kavya Prasad Patel and last batter Ishan Sood.

Patel made 23 from 45 deliveries, while Sood finished unbeaten on two. Their late resistance pushed India to 208 before Sayyam took the final wicket. India's innings ended in 46.3 overs, meaning they left 21 legal deliveries unused. In cricket notation, 46.3 means 46 completed overs and three balls, rather than a decimal fraction.

Pakistan shared the wickets across four bowlers. Rizwanullah took three for 24, Ali Raza three for 37 and Shafiq three for 42. Sayyam finished with one for 27. Those figures show the balance of the attack: the seam bowlers created early pressure, and Shafiq's spin removed batters trying to rebuild.

Pakistan also missed a late chance to end India's innings sooner. In the 45th over, Patel sent a top edge high into the air off Sayyam. The bowler, wicketkeeper Zahoor and another fielder converged, then all backed away, allowing the ball to fall safely.

India turns a modest target into a contest

Pakistan needed 209 to win, but their chase soon became difficult. Openers Usman Khan and Jahangir Bilal began positively, with fielding mistakes giving Usman reprieves. India nevertheless dismissed both, leaving Pakistan at 33 for two after 5.4 overs.

Abdul Qadir and Ahmed Hussain added 22 before Manal changed the direction of the innings. The left arm spinner bowled Qadir for 20 from 27 balls with a delivery that turned. Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf then fell for two, caught by Manal off Patel.

Manal trapped Ahmed leg before wicket for eight from 27 balls, completing a damaging sequence of three wickets for six runs. Leg before wicket means the umpire judged that the batter's body had blocked a delivery that would otherwise have hit the stumps. Pakistan were 61 for five, still needing 148 runs with half their wickets gone.

Zahoor and Hasnain build the decisive partnership

Zahoor and Hasnain Abbas Dar repaired the innings without trying to recover every lost run at once. Pakistan reached 80 for five after 20 overs, then 106 for five after 24. Keeping wickets intact gave them time to attack deliveries they could score from.

Zahoor provided the more forceful strokes. He hit a six over deep square leg during the early rebuilding and later struck Mohit over long on for six before adding a four behind the wicket. Hasnain supplied the support, staying alongside him as the target came closer.

Their partnership added 107, lifting Pakistan from 61 for five to 168 for six. That stand alone supplied slightly more than half of the 209 runs Pakistan needed. It also changed the pressure on India, who had been one wicket away from reaching Pakistan's lower order but instead spent a long stretch searching for a breakthrough.

Manal finally dismissed Hasnain with the last ball of his spell, drawing a catch to Rajput at mid on. Hasnain's 38 from 67 balls included two fours. Pakistan still needed 41, and Manal finished with three for 32 from his full allocation of 10 overs.

Late chances keep India involved

Mohit kept India in the contest by dismissing Sayyam for four from 13 balls, caught behind by Dravid in the 43rd over. Pakistan were seven wickets down, leaving Zahoor to finish the chase alongside the remaining lower order.

Zahoor continued to find boundaries while also taking singles to reduce the target. Pakistan reached 191 for seven after 44 overs. A misfield at mid off during the next over allowed another boundary, easing the pressure at a stage when India needed to make every run difficult.

Pakistan were 205 for seven after 48 overs, four runs short of victory. Zahoor hit the first ball of the next over to the boundary, finishing unbeaten on exactly 100. Pakistan won with 11 balls remaining and three wickets in hand, meaning India had taken seven of the 10 wickets needed to dismiss them.

Official match scorecard

India Under-19s made 208 all out in 46.3 overs, a run rate of 4.47, after choosing to bat. Pakistan Under-19s reached 209 for seven in 48.1 overs, a run rate of 4.33, to win by three wickets with 11 balls remaining.

India Under-19s batting:

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Lakshya Raichandani, 0.2 overs), 2-21 (VK Vineeth, 8.4), 3-22 (Yashbardhan Chauhan, 11.4), 4-42 (Aaryavir Sehwag, 16.4), 5-86 (Anvay Dravid, 22.5), 6-150 (Manal Chauhan, 31.6), 7-170 (Arjun Rajput, 35.2), 8-181 (Yashveer Goud, 38.2), 9-195 (Mohit Ulva, 42.3), 10-208 (Kavya Paresh Patel, 46.3).

Pakistan Under-19s bowling:

Pakistan Under-19s batting, chasing 209 from 50 overs:

Did not bat: Rizwanullah, Ali Raza.

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Jahangir Bilal, 2.6 overs), 2-33 (Usman Khan, 5.4), 3-55 (Abdul Qadir, 12.3), 4-59 (Farhan Yousaf, 13.5), 5-61 (Ahmed Hussain, 14.4), 6-168 (Hasnain Abbas Dar, 37.6), 7-183 (Mohammad Sayyam, 42.5).

India Under-19s bowling:

How the match swung between the teams

Both innings followed a similar pattern at first: early wickets, a rescue led by one batter and renewed pressure when a partnership ended. The difference came at the finish. Rajput fell before India's innings was complete; Zahoor remained at the crease until Pakistan crossed the target.

• India's opening innings: Raichandani chose to bat, but India fell to 22 for three and then 42 for four.
• India's recovery: Rajput made 107, with partnerships of 44 alongside Dravid and 64 alongside Manal.
• India's finish: Pakistan dismissed India for 208 in 46.3 overs.
• Pakistan's collapse: Three wickets for six runs left the chase at 61 for five.
• Pakistan's recovery: Zahoor and Hasnain added 107 before Hasnain fell at 168 for six.
• The finish: Zahoor's boundary completed his century and Pakistan's victory at 209 for seven in 48.1 overs.

Pakistan builds on its opening victory

Pakistan entered the match after beating the United Arab Emirates by nine wickets, a victory built on Usman Khan's unbeaten 139 and Jahangir Bilal's 60. Against India, the openers departed early and the responsibility moved down the order to Zahoor and Hasnain.

India had also arrived unbeaten, having defeated Nepal by 10 wickets on Friday. They chased 129 in 19.1 overs in that match, with Sehwag unbeaten on 70 from 52 balls and Raichandani making 53 not out. Against Pakistan, both were dismissed before India reached 50.

Pakistan now have two victories and four points, while India's next assignment is against the UAE on November 10, 2026, at 5:00 am GMT / 9:00 am local time in Al Amerat. India's immediate task is to recover from a defeat in which Rajput's century and Manal's bowling brought them back into contention, but neither contribution was enough to stop Zahoor.

Official Group A table after the match

Key Points

• Pakistan beat India by three wickets at Al Amerat in Oman on November 8, 2026.
• Hamza Zahoor made an unbeaten 100 from 108 balls and struck the winning boundary.
• Pakistan recovered from 61 for five through a partnership of 107 between Zahoor and Hasnain Abbas Dar.
• Arjun Rajput scored 107 from 85 balls in India's total of 208.
• Rizwanullah, Ali Raza and Niqab Shafiq took three wickets each; India's Manal Chauhan returned three for 32.
• Pakistan finished on 209 for seven in 48.1 overs and moved to four points from two wins.
• Pakistan lead Group A with four points, followed by India and the UAE on two each and Nepal on zero.
• India next face the UAE at Al Amerat on November 10, 2026, at 5:00 am GMT / 9:00 am local time.