Al Amerat (Oman), November 6 (ANI): India Under-19 began their campaign in the ACC Men's U-19 Asia Cup 2026 with a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal Under-19, riding on a disciplined bowling performance led by Ishan Sood and an unbeaten half-century from Aaryavir Sehwag at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Friday.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl, India restricted Nepal to 128 in 42.3 overs before chasing down the target in just 19.1 overs without losing a wicket.
Aaryavir Sehwag, son of former India opener Virender Sehwag, led the run chase with an unbeaten 70 off 52 deliveries, while skipper Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani remained not out on 53 off 63 balls. The opening pair stitched together an unbroken partnership to ensure a comprehensive victory for India.
Aaryavir was the more aggressive of the two batters, finding boundaries at regular intervals and taking the attack to the Nepal bowlers. Raichandani provided steady support at the other end as India completed the chase comfortably.
Earlier, India's bowlers made effective use of the early assistance on offer to put Nepal under pressure from the beginning.
Ishan Sood was the standout performer with the ball, returning figures of three wickets for 18 runs in his 10 overs, including four maiden overs. His disciplined spell helped India make early inroads into the Nepal batting line-up.
Nepal suffered an early collapse after losing Prashiddha Jaishi (1), Suryanshu Koirala (5) and Nischal Chhetri (0) cheaply. Ishan accounted for all three wickets, leaving Nepal struggling at 27 for three.
Niraj Kumar Yadav (20) and Darsh Sonar then attempted to stabilise the innings, but India continued to maintain pressure through disciplined bowling and tight fielding.
Sonar top-scored for Nepal with 43 off 93 deliveries, while wicketkeeper-batter Aashish Luhar contributed 29 off 45 balls. Their efforts provided some resistance, but Nepal could not build a substantial partnership to recover from the early setbacks.
India's bowling attack continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals, eventually dismissing Nepal for 128 in 42.3 overs.
Apart from Ishan, Arjun Rajput and Yashveer Goud picked up two wickets each, while Manal Chauhan and Kavya Patel claimed one wicket apiece.
Ishan Sood was named Player of the Match for his impressive bowling performance.
Following the victory, India Under-19 captain Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani said the team had planned to exploit the early movement and maintain pressure by bowling in the right areas.
"It was a good toss to win. There was some movement early on and we exploited it really well. They were hitting really good lengths and that was the talk, just hit the good length, hit the right spot and keep the pressure up. The wicket got better and we have planned really well and it was good. No, just the way we normally bat. We are playing the ball and it was good." (ANI)
ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026: Aaryavir Sehwag's unbeaten 70 power India to 10-wicket win over Nepal
