Aaryavir in focus as India face Afghanistan in U-19 Asia Cup semifinal

India will look to ride on the prolific form of Aaryavir Sehwag to book a place in the final when they take on Afghanistan in the men's U-19 Asia Cup semifinal here on Thursday. Aaryavir, son of former India opener Virender Sehwag, is the tournament's leading run-scorer after smashing 160 off 168 balls to guide India to a 70-run win over the UAE in their final Group A match.

With scores of 70 not out, 22 and 160, Sehwag has accumulated 252 runs in three innings as India registered wins over Nepal and the UAE to storm into the semifinals. Their only defeat came against Pakistan, who secured a three-wicket win in the group stage.

Besides Aaryavir, Arjun Rajput has also made a significant contribution, scoring 107 against Pakistan. Medium pacer Ishan Sood and left-arm spinner Manal Chauhan have also impressed, claiming eight and five wickets, respectively.

India will look to the duo to deliver against an Afghanistan side that finished on top of Group B. For Afghanistan, Faisal Rahimi and Subhan Zakhail have shouldered much of the batting responsibility, while Noor Ali has been their standout bowler with 13 wickets.

Amir Hamza has also chipped in with five wickets. India's bowling attack set up the win over Nepal, dismissing the opposition for 128 before skipper Lakshya Raichandani and Sehwag guided the chase. Against the UAE, the batting unit came to the fore, with Sehwag leading the charge in a total of 309 for seven.

However, India's batting looked vulnerable against Pakistan's quality attack, as the team folded for 208. Rajput was left to shoulder much of the responsibility, with only four other batters managing to reach double figures.

Against a potent Afghanistan attack, India's top order will face a stern test. India have won the Under-19 Asia Cup a record eight times, including one shared title, and will be keen to add another final appearance to their campaign.

India U19 Squad: Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani(c), Aaryavir Sehwag, VK Vineeth, Arjun Rajput, Yashbardhan Chauhan, Anvay Dravid(w), Manal Chauhan, Mohit Ulva, Aryan Savsani, Kavya Patel, Ishan Sood, Yashveer Goud, Kushagra Ojha, Rajat Baghel, Shavin Vinodh Afghanistan U19 Squad: Abidullah Nadarjan, Faridullah Ihsas, Subhan Zakhail, Noman Salarzai(w), Shah Faisal Rahimi, Tahir Sarwary, Amir Hamza, Sohail Khan(c), Mohammad Ali, Abdullah Hamdard, Noor Ali Niazi, Sami Mubarez, Bilal Salimankhil, Lutfullah Mohammadi, Imran Mohammadi, Subhan Ali, Farid Zadran, Faisal Mubariz, Abidullah Abid, Hamza Khan Alikhil