India, Pakistan set for blockbuster clash in U-19 World Cup:Boys in Blue will want to avenge Asia Cup final defeat, semi-final berth at stake

After a commanding 204-run win against hosts Zimbabwe, India gear up to face arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Super Six clash. A win against Pakistan, would be enough to take Ayush Mhatre’s team into the semifinals. The Boys in Blue have yet to lose a single game in the tournament so far, having picked up four wins back-to-back. India U-19 thrashed USA by 6 wickets (DLS method) in the tournament opener, followed by a thrilling 18-run win (DLS method) over Bangladesh. In their last group stage match, Mhatre’s side won by 7 wickets again through DLS, before defeating Zimbabwe. Pakistan, on the other hand, started their World Cup campaign with a 36-run defeat to England. Farhan Yousaf’s side defeated Scotland by 6 wickets, before prevailing over Zimbabwe by 8 wickets. They thrashed New Zealand by 8 wickets to remain alive in the race for the semi-finals. A win will take Pakistan to six points, and they will draw level with England and India on points. Speaking before the high-stakes clash, Ayush Mhatre said his team will want to continue their winning run regardless of the opponents. “The boys are really excited for the match, we’ll just play our game, not really worry about our opponents that we are playing against, (we’ll) just play our game and back our game,” said Mhatre. IND vs PAK, U-19 World Cup match details What: India vs Pakistan, U-19 World Cup Super Six match When: 1 February, Sunday, toss at 12:30 PM IST, match begins at 1 PM Where: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo How to follow: Star Sports/ Jio Hotstar/ Bhaskar English app IND U-19 vs PAK U-19 head to head India U-19 have played a total of 29 games against Pakistan U-19. The Boys in Blue have prevailed in 16 games, while the Pakistani colts won a total of 12 matches, with one fixture ending in a tie. Henil Patel has been wreaking havoc with the ball Henil Patel is India’s leading wicket-taker with 10 scalps to his name, while Abhigyan Kundu is the leading run-scorer for the Boys in Blue, having scored 183 runs in four innings. Sameer Minhas is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 188 runs to his name. Keeping him quiet will be key for the Indian bowlers, while Ali Raza is the leading wicket taker for his side. Queens Sports Club, pitch report The Queens Sports Club pitch in Bulawayo is generally known to assist both batters and bowlers. Batsmen need to exercise caution early on, however, once settled, batting gets easier on the wicket. Bulawayo weather report After rain threatened India’s previous games, the Super Six clash against Pakistan will not see major interruptions. There are only 25% chances of precipitation according to Accuweather. The temperature will hover between 17 and 28 degrees Celsius.