Internet Desk: India U19 have been in fine form in this tournament so far, winning all four of their matches by big margins. When they have batted first they have won by at least 100 runs and when they have chased they are yet to lose a wicket.
The form so far
The man with the most runs for the Indians in this tournament is Shubman Gill who has batted three times and passed fifty on each occasion. He has only been dismissed once and has a high score of 90 not out. The leading wicket-taker is Anukul Roy, who has 11 wickets from his four matches with his slow left arm orthodox bowling.
Pakistan have three wins from their four matches so far, their one defeat coming in their opening match against Afghanistan where they failed to defend 188 having struggled with the bat. From there they have come back in fine fashion winning three in a row against Ireland. Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Having struggled to get runs on the board in the first game their batsmen have come good with Ali Zaryab Asif and Rohail Nazir leading the way with three fifties between them.
Key players
Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Nothing is exciting as out and out pace, and that is just what India’s Nagarkoti has. He started the tournament by blowing away the Australian top order and has carried on from there. He has seven wickets from his four matches at an average of 14.14 with an impressive economy rate of just 3.51.
Shaheen Afridi
Afridi is leading wicket-taker for Pakistan U19 and the left-arm seamer will need to be on song against the Indian batting lineup that has been in such fine form during this event. While not express pace, Afridi gets great bounce and late movement. His most impressive display in the tournament so far was the 6/15 in got against Ireland U19.
Tournament history
India won their first title in 2000, with Yuvraj Singh claiming the Player of the Tournament award, a feat he would emulate for the senior side in 2011 as India won the ICC Cricket World Cup. The 2004 Player of the Tournament also came from India, though the Shikhar Dhawan-inspired side lost to Pakistan in the final. The 2008 side, captained by one Virat Kohli, also claimed the title, and India added a third triumph in 2012. In 2016 they came desperately close to securing a record-breaking fourth trophy, but were beaten by West Indies in a last-over thriller.
Pakistan are the third-most successful team in ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup history, having taken home the title twice, in 2004 and 2006, behind only India and Australia. They have made the final on a further three occasions, including at the first-ever tournament in 1988, with a team including future legends Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed.
Head to head
There have been 21 meetings between India and Pakistan at Under 19 level and it is India U19 that have the better record, winning 12 and losing eight with one match finishing in a tie. There most recent meeting came at the 2014 ICC Under 19 World Cup where 68 runs from Sanju Samson set up a win for India U19.
Forecast
It is set to be a hot one on Tuesday in Christchurch with a top temperature of 31°C with very little chance of any rain getting involved.
Squads
India: Prithvi Shaw (c), Shubman Gill, Aryan Juyal, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harvik Desai, Manjot Kalra, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pankaj Yadav, Riyan Parag, Ishan Porel, Himanshu Rana, Anukul Roy, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh.
Pakistan: Hasan Khan (c), Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Ali Khan, Ammad Alam, Zaid Alam, Ali Zaryab, Arshad Iqbal, Muhammad Mohsin Khan, Muhammad Musa, Saad Khan, Rohail Nazir (wk), Munir Riaz, Suleman Shafqat, Imran Shah, Mohammad Taha.