India’s dominance in the ICC Under-19 World Cup knockout stages has been unwavering since its shock exit in 2016. Across the last five editions, the junior Men in Blue have reached at least one final and lifted the trophy twice, in 2018 and 2022. Ayush Mhatre’s side will aim to extend that formidable record when they face Afghanistan in the second semifinal of the 2026 U19 World Cup at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
Unbeaten India face resilient Afghanistan in Harare semifinal
India has marched into the semifinals unbeaten in the 2026 edition. They topped their group after convincing victories over the USA, Bangladesh and New Zealand, before continuing their momentum in the Super Six with wins against Zimbabwe and Pakistan to seal a last-four spot.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, have been impressive despite one stumble. They swept all three group-stage matches but were caught off guard by Sri Lanka in their opening Super Six fixture. The young Afghans bounced back strongly, defeating Ireland to book their third-ever U19 World Cup semifinal appearance.
At the toss, Afghanistan skipper Mahboob Khan elected to bat first, backing the conditions at Harare to favour batting early. India will bowl first and go in unchanged for the high-stakes encounter.
“We’re really happy with the toss. The wicket looks good,” said India captain Ayush Mhatre. “The boys have been brilliant with their attitude. We need to play simple cricket and express ourselves.”
Mahboob Khan echoed the optimism. “We want to bat first. The pitch looks good for batting and will also offer something for the bowlers. Faisal Khan has been excellent for us, and we’ve prepared well. Hopefully, we make it to the final.”
Playing XIs
India U19:
Aaron George, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre (c), Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Deepesh Devendran
Afghanistan U19:
Osman Sadat, Khalid Ahmadzai, Faisal Shinozada, Uzairullah Niazai, Mahboob Khan (c & wk), Azizullah Miakhil, Abdul Aziz, Khatir Stanikzai, Roohullah Arab, Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran
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