Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George delivered composed, match-turning innings as India defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a rain-reduced U-19 Asia Cup semi-final, setting up a blockbuster final against Pakistan on Sunday.
India’s bowlers set the tone early, reducing Sri Lanka to 28 for 3. While captain Vimath Dinsara and Chamika Heenatigala fought back with a 45-run stand, Sri Lanka repeatedly lost wickets at crucial moments. Key strikes from Kishan Singh, Deepesh Devendran, Vedant Trivedi, Kanishk Chouhan, and Khilan Patel kept the pressure high, restricting the visitors to 138 for 8 in their allotted overs.
In reply, India stumbled to 25 for 2 as Sri Lanka sensed a comeback. Malhotra and George, however, steadied the innings with a brilliant unbeaten partnership of 114 runs. The duo combined patience with calculated aggression: the first 62 runs came off 51 balls, before the next 52 were added in just 36 deliveries. Malhotra’s 61* featured a decisive 4, 4, 6 off Dulnith Sigera in the 13th over, swinging the game decisively in India’s favor, while George’s 58* anchored the innings at the other end.
With this win, India book a clash with arch-rivals Pakistan in the final, promising a thrilling conclusion to the U-19 Asia Cup.
