IND vs PAK: 3 big reasons behind India's shameful loss in U19 Asia Cup final

Pakistan U19 thumped India U19 by 191 to win the U19 Asia Cup final in Dubai.

On Sunday, India U19 suffered a humiliation at the hands of Pakistan U19 in the final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan, who were outplayed by India in the group stage earlier, bounced back well to beat India by a massive margin of 191 runs.

It was not just a defeat; it was an embarrasment which Ayush Mhrate and the boys suffered on the field. Apart from the toss, nothing went in favor of the Boys in Blue. Sameer Minhas scored yet another daddy hundred and made 172 off 113 balls to take Pakistan U19 to 347. Then Ali Raza and co. didn’t let any Indian batters settle down.

India U19 were bowled out for just 156 runs in 26.2 overs. This defeat will be marked as one of the poorest for India against Pakistan at any level. India U19 made a lot of mistakes, which cost them the final and the trophy. Here we will talk about three major reasons behind India’s defeat against Pakistan U19 in the final.

IND vs PAK: 3 big reasons behind India’s shameful loss in U19 Asia Cup final

3. Poor Captaincy

This is the second time that these two sides were playing in the ACC U19 Asia Cup. Earlier, India U19 beat Pakistan U19 by 90 runs in the group stage. India defended the target in that game. But in the final, the decision to chase backfired on them. An IND vs PAK at any level is never easy, and a final match chasing under pressure is something a wise team might avoid.

But India had a chance to bat first and play freely as they have been doing throughout this tournament. India had the bowling unit to defend a total, but instead, they bowled first, and Pakistan batted freely. Then, some decisions on the field, like bowling tactics and fielding changes, were also below average.

2. Horrible Bowling Display

The India bowling unit had a horrible day at the office. There were some help for the fast bowlers early on, but Indian bowlers didn’t use it. Instead, they bowled too many boundary-scoring deliveries in the powerplay, which helped Pakistani batters, especially Sameer Minhas to get set. From there on, India couldn’t make a comeback.

Though they were lucky that Pakistan U19 only managed 347 runs, which looked like 375-380 at one stage. But it was enough to break the confidence of the Indian batters. There were 1-2 boundary balls every over, which Sameer cashed in, and he slammed 17 fours and nine sixes alone in his innings.

1. Overconfident Batting Unit

India U19 had a very strong batting unit. They crossed the 400-run twice in five matches. But when it mattered, they fell like a pack of cards. One big reason was the overconfidence of this batting group.

Before the final, they played against a slightly weaker bowling unit, and we enjoyed batting and thrashing them. They were tested against Pakistan U19 in the group game and were bowled out for only 240 runs. But scoring against a weaker bowling unit or not facing a quality attack was one reason that Indian batters were not ready.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who slammed 171 in the first game, couldn’t replicate it in the next four games. Indian captain Ayush Mhatre scored 65 runs at an average of 13 in five innings. Not starting well with the bat put pressure on other batters, and it was visible in the final as well.

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