OTD| Pakistan emerged on top in a low-scoring final against India to win the Under-19 World Cup in 2006

An India-Pakistan contest is undoubtedly the most anticipated affair in cricket and when the two teams meet in the final of a tournament, the occasion becomes more special. The arch-rivals clashed in the final of the 2006 Under-19 World Cup on this day which eventually ended in a memorable victory for Pakistan. 

Pakistan under pressure

Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss for Pakistan and opted to put runs on the board for India to chase in the all-important final. However, the execution was not spot on from Pakistan as India exerted pressure on them with early breakthroughs. The fall of wickets started with the dismissal of opener Nasir Jamshed. The Indian bowling unit did not look back from there. 

Pakistan could not build any major partnership in their batting stint which resulted in a pathetic collapse. India restricted Pakistan to a low total of 109 runs at the end of the first innings. The spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja bowled brilliantly giving no chance to the opposition to make a comeback in the first innings. The leg-spinner Chawla picked up 4 wickets whereas Jadeja assisted him with 3 wickets to his name. It was a dominant display from India in the first innings which put them in a comfortable position moving into the second innings. 

Dramatic Comeback from Pakistan

Pakistan fans would have lost hope seeing their team getting restricted for a miserable score of 109 runs. However, they had no clue that their destinies would go through a massive transition in the second innings. 

The fast bowler Anwar Ali bowled fireballs in his initial spell which Indian batters could not deal with. The chasing side lost 6 wickets with just 9 runs on the board. The match was almost over but Piyush Chawla and Pinal Shah kept the hopes alive with their 39-run partnership for the 8th wicket but once Shah was dismissed by Akhtar Ayub, everything went downhill from there for India. Eventually, Pakistan bowled the opposition out for 71 runs and won the match by 38 runs to lift their second consecutive Under-19 World Cup title.