Pakistan captain Farhan Yousuf had little to celebrate after watching his team lose a thrilling U19 Asia Cup final to India by one wicket. While the defeat was hard to take, Farhan was gracious in defeat, admitting that India deserved credit for the way they chased down 338 on the final ball.India played brilliant cricket: Pakistan captain dejected after Asia Cup U19 final loss (@farhanyousafofficial) Pakistan Under-19 captain Farhan Yousuf was left disappointed after his team suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat to India in the Under-19 Asia Cup 2026 final in Muscat on Saturday.
Farhan, however, praised India's effort, admitting that the opposition had played excellent cricket to pull off a remarkable chase.India chased down a target of 338, winning off the final ball to reclaim the U19 Asia Cup title. Mohit Ulva and Manal Chauhan played crucial knocks to pull India out of trouble after Pakistan had reduced them to 252 for eight in the 42nd over."We were able to post a good total, but India played excellent cricket.
We were wayward, because of which India were able to chase the total. The pacers took a bit too much time, because of which we had to face the overrate penalty in the match.
I want to thank the fans for their support and request them to keep supporting Pakistan," Farhan said at the post-match presentation.With India eight wickets down and the asking rate climbing, Manal and Mohit put together a 57-run partnership to keep the chase alive. Manal scored 47 off 32 balls before falling with India still needing 36 runs.
IND vs PAK, U19 Asia Cup Final: HighlightsMohit then found support from No. 11 batter C Venkata, who scored an unbeaten 11 off eight balls.
The pair took India closer, leaving them needing eight runs from the final over. The equation came down to three runs off the last ball.
Mohit made no mistake, sending Ahmed Hussain's delivery towards the long-off boundary for four to seal an extraordinary win. He finished unbeaten on 49 off just 26 balls.Earlier, Lakshya Raichandani (80) and Aaryavir Sehwag (58) had given India a strong start with a 95-run opening stand.
However, their dismissals, followed by Anvay Dravid's wicket, put Pakistan firmly in control before India's lower order turned the match around.Pakistan had posted 337 for nine, thanks largely to a century from opener Usman Khan. He scored 107 off 106 balls, while Abdul Qadir made 80 off just 54 deliveries.
The pair added 135 runs for the second wicket in just 18 overs, putting Pakistan in a strong position.Captain Farhan also made a valuable contribution, scoring 60 off 63 balls to take Pakistan past the 300-run mark.India's Kavya Patel finished with four wickets for 68 runs, while C Venkata picked up three for 40. Their efforts restricted Pakistan to 337, but it was not enough to stop India from completing a memorable chase.- Ends