India Under-19 face Afghanistan with eyes on World Cup final:Ayush Mhatre’s unbeaten army gunning for sixth consecutive win

India U-19 have set their sights on winning a record-extending sixth U19 World Cup crown. Ayush Mhatre’s side will face Afghanistan in the semi-final of the 2026 edition, hoping to reach yet another final. The most successful team in the tournament’s history, India have won all five of their matches so far. Afghanistan also came into the semifinal with four wins, their only loss coming against Sri Lanka. The past record between the two teams also favours the Boys in Blue as they look for a sixth consecutive win in a row. In their last Super Six match, India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 58 runs. The Indian team has already defeated the USA, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. India U19 vs Afghanistan U19 match details What: India vs Afghanistan, U19 World Cup 2026, semi-final 2 When: 4 February, Wednesday, 1 PM IST Where: Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe How to follow: Star Sports/ Jio Hotstar/ Bhaskar English app India U19 vs Afghanistan U19, head-to-head record India U19 have played Afghanistan a total of 12 times, winning 10 games with pure dominance. Afghanistan won the two remaining fixtures. India’s top players in U19 World Cup Abhigyan Kundu has been the leading run-scorer for his side with 199 runs under his belt. Henil Patel is the leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps to his name. Captain Ayush Mhatre has also been clinical with the ball, picking up six wickets, although he has only scored 99 runs with the bat. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has also contributed 196 runs. Harare Sports Club pitch report The Harare Sports Club pitch is generally considered a balanced surface that often favours batsmen early on, with an average first-innings ODI score around 192–200+. It offers good pace and bounce, supporting stroke-making, but can become more challenging as the game progresses, sometimes aiding spinners. Harare weather report Clear skies are expected on Wednesday in ideal conditions for cricket in Harare. The temperature will be around 28 degrees Celcius during the day, and fall to 15 degrees at night. There are no chances of rain.