India won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the second semifinal of the U-19 World Cup, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand. The winner of this match will play against three-time champions Australia, who reached the final a day earlier, beating Afghanistan by six wickets at the same venue.
India made no changes in the playing XI, which crushed Bangladesh by 131 runs in the quarterfinal, while Pakistan brought in an extra batsman Imran Shah in place of bowler Suleman Shafqat.
The last time India and Pakistan U-19 teams met, was in 2014. So, it's the first time the current set of players of both sides are facing each other. The senior India cricket team might have a 6-0 scoreline against Pakistan in World Cups, but in U-19 World Cups, Pakistan have their nose ahead with a 4-3 advantage.
For India, Shubhman Gill has scored the maximum runs so far in the tournament, with 239 runs, while left-arm spinner Anukul Roy has 11 wickets. Ali Zaryab, meanwhile, is Pakistan's top scorer with 163 runs and Shaheen Afridi wicket-getter with 11 scalps.
The final will be held at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on Feb 3.
India:
Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Shubman Gill, Harvik Desai, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Anukul Roy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh, Ishan Porel
Pakistan:
Zaid Alam, Imran Shah, Rohail Nazir, Ali Zaryab, Mohammad Taha, Ammad Alam, Saad Khan, Hasan Khan, Muhammad Musa, Shaheen Afridi, Arshad Iqbal
