Dubai, Dec 27 (FN Agency) India defeated Afghanistan in their last Group A match by 4 wickets to qualify for the semi-final of the Under-19 Asia Cup here at ICC Academy Ground on Monday. Chasing the target of 258, India had a flying start as Harnoor Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi stitched a 104-run opening partnership. Noor Ahmad gave Afghanistan a big breakthrough after he dismissed the opening duo Harnoor (65) and Raghuvanshi (36). India skipper Yash Dhull chipped in with 26 off 35 balls before Ahmad got rid of him in the 35th over. It was Raj Bawa and Kaushal Tambe’s crucial 68-run partnership that took India home. Bawa scored an unbeaten 43 off 55 balls, while Kaushal Tambe’s 35 off 29 not out finished the job for men in blue.
For Afghanistan, Ahmad claimed four wickets while Bilal Sami and Khalel Ahmad picked one wicket each. Batting first, Afghanistan had a slow start as they lost three wickets for the score of 101 in 28.4 overs. However, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai’s unbeaten knock of 86 and captain Suliman Safi’s 73 off 86 balls recovered Afghanistan, helping their side to post a total of 257 on board for the loss of four wickets. Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Raj Bawa, Vicky Ostwal and Kaushal Tambe picked one wicket each for India. Also, Tambe was the most economical bowler as he conceded just 25 runs in 8 overs with an economy of 3.10