Zahoor Hits Unbeaten 100 as Pakistan Beat India by 3 Wickets in U19 Asia Cup

Pakistan beat India by three wickets in their Under-19 Asia Cup Group A match in Muscat on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Hamza Zahoor scored an unbeaten 100 off 108 balls from number seven and took the defending champions to 209 for 7 in 48.1 overs, chasing India's 208 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground.

India batted first after winning the toss and were bowled out for 208 in 46.3 overs. Arjun Rajput made 107 off 85 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes. It was more than half of India's total. India had slipped to 42 for 4 early before Rajput rebuilt the innings, and Kavya Patel added 23. Ali Raza took 3 for 37 for Pakistan and Niqab Shafiq took 3 for 42, according to the IANS brief scores carried by several outlets.

A chase that looked lost

Pakistan's chase fell apart early. They were 61 for 5 and needed 148 more runs with half the side out. Zahoor, the wicketkeeper, settled the innings first and then controlled it. He put on 107 runs for the sixth wicket with Hasnain Abbas Dar, who made 38, and stayed to the end. Zahoor brought up his hundred with the winning drive past extra cover in the 49th over, finishing with 11 balls to spare.

For India, Manal Chauhan took 3 for 32 and Mohit Ulva took 2 for 45. The bowling kept India in the game, but the total was short. India captain Lakshya Raichandani said after the match that his side had finished 20 to 30 runs below a par score, in IANS reporting.

Why it matters

Pakistan are the defending champions. They beat India by 191 runs in last December's final in Dubai, and this win puts them on top of Group A in this year's tournament. India now need results in their remaining group games to be sure of a place in the semi-finals, which are scheduled for November 12, with the final on November 14.

The result also keeps the oldest pattern in this rivalry alive at youth level. The senior names change, but the under-19 game between the two countries still turns on one innings under pressure. On Sunday that innings belonged to a number seven who walked in with the match nearly gone.

Key numbers

India made 208, all out in 46.3 overs. Rajput scored 107 of those runs. Pakistan replied with 209 for 7 in 48.1 overs. Zahoor finished on 100 not out off 108 balls. Pakistan won by three wickets with 11 balls left.