In the U19 Asia Cup semi-final in Al Amerat, India's spin duo of Manal Chauhan and Yashbardhan have put Afghanistan under pressure with their tight bowling. The Afghan top order has struggled to maintain a steady scoring rate, losing three wickets in 28 overs, with Noman Salarzai being the highest scorer at 15 runs. A highlight of the match was Noman's six over wide long-on, but India captain Lakshya Raichandani and his team have managed to keep Afghanistan from building significant momentum. A drinks break has been taken, with India holding a slight advantage with their two wickets in hand.
In a turn of events, Mohit Ulva has provided some much-needed entertainment with an over that yielded four boundaries for Subhan Zakhail and Noman Salarzai. The Afghan batters have been finding it difficult to score freely against India's tight bowling, but they are slowly rebuilding their innings. Ishan Sood, the Punjab fast bowler, has impressed with his maiden over and has already claimed the wicket of Abidullah Nadarjan in the 7th over. Kavya Patel is also keeping things tight from the other end, beating the Afghan batters' outside edge and causing them to work hard for every run.
The opening partnership between Nadarjan and Faridullah Ihsas has been broken, with Sood striking in the 7th over to dismiss Nadarjan for 6. The young Indian bowlers are keeping things tight, making the Afghan openers work hard for every run. India will be hoping to take more wickets early and restrict Afghanistan's scoring rate in order to secure their place in the final.