Hamza Zahoor's century propels Pakistan to beat India by three wickets in U19 Rising Stars Asia Cup

Pakistan have defeated India by three wickets in the U19 Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 at Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 2). Hamza Zahoor played a pivotal knock, scoring a century to get the job done with 11 balls remaining. He arrived on the stage at a critical moment, but the youngster rose to the occasion and delivered a batting masterclass to secure Pakistan’s spot in the semi-final of the competition.

The day started with India captain Lakshya Raichandani winning the toss and electing to bat first. It raised quite a few eyebrows and rightfully so, as India were 42/4 at one stage. The captain himself departed in a bizarre manner as he left Ali Raza’ delivery to get bowled on the second ball of the innings. India could never recover from the early wicket as they lost wickets at regular



intervals.

Aaryavir Sehwag, who scored a blistering half-century in the previous game, managed to keep the scoreboard ticking for a while, but he too departed for 22 runs off 40 balls. VK Vineeth and Yashbardhan Chauhan scored eight and one run, respectively, putting India under tremendous pressure. For Pakistan, Raza was spectacular with the new ball as he didn’t allow Indian batters to gain any momentum.

Finally, Arjun Rajput provided India some comfort with an important knock. He scored a brilliant century and that allowed the Men in Blue to cross the 200-run mark, which didn’t look possible at one stage. Arjun scored 107 runs off 85 balls in the middle and that was the highlight of India’s innings, especially when other batters were struggling in the middle. Six of them scored in six digits.