New Delhi: Ayush Mhatre-led India will lock horns with Afghanistan in the second semi-final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on Wednesday, February 04. England defeated Australia in the first semi-final on Tuesday to enter the final of the tournament.
The winner of the second semi-final between India U19 and Afghanistan U19 will take on high-flying England in the all-important final. Both India and Afghanistan have enjoyed stellar campaigns in the tournament so far. While India are unbeaten with five wins in as many games, Afghanistan have tasted defeat only once in the tournament so far.
Mhatre-led India began their campaign with a six-wicket win against USA, before thrashing Bangladesh by 18 runs in the group stage. They completed a hat-trick of victories with a win against New Zealand in their next game. India beat Zimbabwe in the Super Six stage before hammering Pakistan in their last game to book a spot in the semi-final.
While skipper Mhatre is yet to produce his best for the team, young starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has fired consistently at the top. Wicket-keeper Abhigyan Kundu has been India’s most reliable batter in the tournament so far and is the leading run-getter for the team with 199 runs in 4 innings.
Pacer Henil Patel has been the standout performer with the ball for India. He has picked up 11 wickets in five innings and has played a key role in helping India make it to the semi-finals. He is India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far and has been well supported by RS Ambrish, who has 8 wickets to his name in five games.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan beat South Africa in their opener before picking up wins against West Indies and Tanzania to top Group D. They suffered a defeat against Sri Lanka in the Super Six, but qualified for the semi-finals after beating Ireland by 191 runs in their last game. Faisal Shinozada is the top run-getter for Afghanistan in the tournament with an impressive 325 runs in 5 innings, while pacer Nooristani Omarzai has impressed with the ball, scalping 12 wickets in five matches.
Squads:
India: Aaron George, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre(c), Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu(w), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Henil Patel, Harvansh Pangalia, Mohamed Enaan, Udhav Mohan, Kishan Kumar Singh
Afghanistan: Osman Sadat, Khalid Ahmadzai, Faisal Shinozada, Uzairullah Niazai, Mahboob Khan(w/c), Azizullah Miakhil, Abdul Aziz, Roohullah Arab, Nooristani Omarzai, Wahidullah Zadran, Aqil Khan, Nazifullah Amiri, Khatir Stanikzai, Salam Khan, Zaitullah Shaheen