Vihaan Malhotra of India and Aaron George of India team members celebrate their team's win over Sri Lanka during Semi Final 1 of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025 between India U19 and Sri Lanka U19 at the ICC Academy Ground, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 19 December 2025. (CREIMAS for Asian Cricket Council)
Much of the attention in the present India Under-19 team has centered on Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhigyan Kundu, whose batting exploits took the side into the semifinals. But on Friday, it was time for others to shoulder responsibility – and Aaron George and Vihaan Malhotra answered the call emphatically, guiding India into the Under-19 Asia Cup final with a win over Sri Lanka in the semi-final at the ICC academy ground in Dubai.
Chasing a modest 139 in a rain-curtailed 20-over contest, India found themselves in a bit of a hole at 25 for 2 inside four overs after captain Ayush Mhatre and Suryavanshi fell cheaply for seven and nine runs, respectively.
Malhotra, initially watchful, found his rhythm with a towering six over deep backward square leg, gradually loosening the pressure. At the other end, George – an admirer of AB de Villiers – showcased his quality through sharp running between the wickets and well-judged boundary-hitting.
The pair chipped away at the target by showing immense maturity, milking the Sri Lankan bowlers to different parts of the ground. The duo also handled Sri Lanka’s biggest threat, medium-pacer Sethmika Seneviratne, with composure. George, in particular, negated his impact, scoring 12 runs off eight deliveries from him and finishing the chase in style with a boundary over sweeper cover in the 18th over.
On a pitch devoid of swing or turn, the pair put on 114 runs in 87 balls for the third wicket to seal the win and set up a final clash against Pakistan on Sunday. It will be the first time since 2014 that the Asian neighbours will contest in the final of an Under-19 Asia Cup.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling performance, led by Henil Patel’s 2/31 and Kanishk Chouhan’s 2/36, helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 138/8 in 20 overs. The new ball pair of Kishan Kumar and Deepesh Devendran reduced the opposition to 26/2 in the revamped powerplay of four overs.
Sri Lanka found themselves in deeper trouble a few overs later when Vedant Trivedi ran out Kavija Gamage to leave them reeling at 28/3.
Captain Vimath Dinsara and Chandrika Heenatigala steadied the Sri Lankan ship, putting on 55 runs for the fourth wicket. But off-spinner Kanishk Chouhan, who was picked by the reigning IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 30 lakh at the auction on Tuesday, pegged Sri Lanka back by removing Dinsara and Kithma Vithanapathirana in the 12th over to leave them precariously placed at 81/5.
That situation worsened when Khilan Patel dismissed Aadham Hilmy for one run to leave them in dire straits at 84/6 in the 13th over and in serious trouble of getting bowled out inside the 20 overs.
However, Heenatigala, who had seen the three wickets fall in quick succession at the other end, combined with Seneviratne to put on 52 runs for the seventh wicket and take their side to a score, which gave the bowlers something to bowl at in the second innings.
After a five-hour delay caused by persistent rain and a wet outfield, India’s composed chase ensured the wait was worth it – a performance that underlined the depth and resilience of the side as they marched into the final.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 138/8 in 20 overs (Heenatigala 42, Dinsara 32; Patel 2/31) lost to India 139/2 in 18 overs (Malhotra 61 not out, George 58 not out).
