India U-19 make splendid Asia Cup start with 10-wicket victory over Nepal

India U-19 registered an easy 10-wicket win against Nepal U-19 in the first match of the Under-19 Asia Cup played on Friday at the Al Amrat Cricket Ground in Muscat, Oman. According to a Sportstar report, the Indian team achieved the target of 129 runs in just 19.1 overs.

After winning the toss, India decided to field first. Due to a thin layer of grass on the surface, Ishan Sood's bowling proved to be very effective. In his first spell of 6 overs, Ishan Sood moved the ball both ways, resulting in the dismissal of three top-order Nepal players who struggled to read the movement.

From Nepal's side, Darsh Sonare showed stability to revive the innings. Along with Niraj Yadav and Ashish Luhar, he pushed the team's score above 100 runs. Initially, the spinners did not receive much help from the pitch, allowing Darsh and his partners to bat without much difficulty. However, after the partnership between Ashish and Darsh was broken, Nepal's lower order collapsed quickly. The players played irresponsible shots, leading to Arjun Rajpoot claiming three wickets, and the Nepal team was bowled out for 128 runs.

When India U-19 came out to bat, the ball did not move as much as before. After playing cautiously for a few initial overs, Aryaveer Sehwag and captain Lakshya Raichandani began hitting boundaries at regular intervals. Sehwag attacked the spinners with ground down lofted shots and completed his half-century in just 34 balls. Ultimately, Sehwag remained unbeaten on 70 runs to secure the win for India.

On the other hand, captain Lakshya Raichandani also struck an unbeaten half-century. While Sehwag played aggressively, Raichandani managed the game by pushing the ball to rotate the strike. India achieved the target in just 115 balls of the innings.

With this victory, India U-19 has reached the top of Group A with two points and a positive net run rate of 4.170.