India making their eighth appearance in U19 Asia Cup final
Neighbours will meet in the continental final after a gap of 11 years
Mostly sunny day is expected in Dubai with clear skies
With both the semi-finals of the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup 2025 having been affected by rain, weather will be on the scanner again in the high-voltage India vs Pakistan final at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on Sunday (December 21).
India will make their eighth appearance in the summit clash of the continental showpiece after defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a truncated 20-over encounter. The Indian bowling unit, which has been spot on throughout the tournament, restricted Sri Lanka to 138 for 8 in 20 overs. In reply, vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra (61 not out off 45 balls) was well complemented by Aaron George (58 not out off 49 balls) as India chased down the target in 18 overs.
In the other semi-final, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in a shortened 27-over affair, and the arch-rival neighbours will meet in the continental final after a gap of 11 years. The last time India U-19 beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in 2014, the team comprised of Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav, among others.
India Vs Pakistan, U-19 Asia Cup Final: Dubai Weather Forecast
Dubai has witnessed heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the last few days, leading to flight disruptions as well as traffic snarls, in addition to the U19 Asia Cup semi-finals getting affected. But thankfully for Sunday, when the final will be played, the weather forecast is positive.
A mostly sunny day is expected in the UAE city with clear skies and a precipitation probability of just 2 per cent. The maximum temperature is predicted to be 23 degrees Celsius with a minimum of 18 degrees Celsius.
India Vs Pakistan, U-19 Asia Cup Final: Pitch Report
The pitch at the ICC Academy Ground has not aided run-scoring in the manner that the one at the Sevens Stadium has. With low-scoring affairs the order of the day at the venue in the tournament so far, the pattern could continue in the final. It will be a battle of India's batting firepower, studded by teenage prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, against Pakistan’s pace-heavy bowling attack.
India Vs Pakistan, U-19 Asia Cup Final: Squads
India: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Aaron George.
Pakistan: Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Huzaifa.
