India enter U-19 Asia Cup semi-finals

Kuala Lumpur: India have reached the semi-finals of the Under-19 Asia Cup after they beat Nepal by 81 runs with the help of Duckworth-Lewis method here on Tuesday.

India - in their final Group A encounter - had been well placed at 83 for 1 in the 20th over but collapsed to be bowled out for 176 in 45.2 overs, with Nepal's Bhuvan Karki and Rahul Vishvakarma taking three wickets apiece. But that proved to be more than enough, with Nepal folding for just 91 in 27.3 overs as left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra netted 4 for 33 and with it the Man-of-the-Match award.

Following the loss of Sanju Samson for 9, India captain Unmukt Chand (47) and Baba Aparajith (55) put on 64 for the second wicket. Chand's dismissal to Vishvakarma's left-arm spin was followed by a spectacular collapse of nine wickets for 83 runs. Only two other batsmen reached double-digits.

Unmukt Chand\'s team beat Nepal by 81 runs and will play Sri Lanka in the semis at Kuala Lumpur on June 29.

Nepal's target was revised to 173 in 47 overs after a brief interruption, but their chase never got off the blocks as Sandeep Sharma prised out the openers inside nine overs. His new-ball partner Mohsin Sayyed also grabbed two wickets in an economical spell, and then it was over to Mishra. The highest score of the innings was Karki's 24 from the No. 9 spot.

India, seeking to make it a hat-trick of titles in the tournament, thus finished second in the group behind Pakistan and will play Sri Lanka in the second semi-final on Friday. Pakistan will face Afghanistan in the first semi-final the previous day.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)