India’s young side will try to ride the red-hot form of Aaryavir Sehwag into the final when they take on Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the men’s Under-19 Asia Cup on Thursday. 

Sehwag, who is the son of former India opener Virender Sehwag, has been the batter of the tournament so far.

He smashed 160 off 168 balls against the UAE in the last Group A game, which helped India to a 70-run win. The knock has put him at the top of the run charts. His three scores of 70 not out, 22 and 160 add up to 252 runs in as many innings.

India reached the last four after beating Nepal and the UAE, and their only setback came against Pakistan, who won that group game by three wickets.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, finished on top of Group B and arrive with a reputation for choking the opposition through spin, along with a top order that has batted with discipline.

What time does India vs. Afghanistan U-19 Asia Cup semi-final start?

The match is part of the ACC Men’s U-19 Asia Cup and is listed as Semi-Final 1. It will be played at the  Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 2) located in Al Amerat, Muscat, Oman.

The first ball is due at 9:00 am local time (GST), which translates to 10:30 am IST on Thursday for viewers in India.

India vs. Afghanistan live stream, TV channel for U-19 Asia Cup semi-final

Here is how to watch the U-19 Asia Cup semi-final in India:

• TV channel: Sony Sports Network
• Live stream: Sony LIV

Indian fans can watch the match live on the Sony Sports Network, while the Sony LIV app and website will carry the live stream for those who prefer to follow on a phone or laptop.

India vs. Afghanistan team news, predicted XI

For India, the batting once again begins and ends with Sehwag, but he has had support from Arjun Rajput, who scored 107 against Pakistan. With the ball, medium pacer Ishan Sood has picked up eight wickets, and left-arm spinner Manal Chauhan has taken five, so the management will look to the pair to keep Afghanistan quiet.

India predicted XI: Lakshya Raichandani, Aaryavir Sehwag, VK Vineeth, Arjun Rajput, Yashbardhan Chauhan, Anvay Dravid, Manal Chauhan, Mohit Ulva, Aryan Savsani, Kavya Paresh Patel, Ishan Sood

Afghanistan have leaned on the runs of Faisal Rahimi and Subhan Zakhail, who have shared much of the batting load. Noor Ali has been the standout bowler with 13 wickets, and Amir Hamza has chipped in with five, which gives the side a well-rounded attack.

Afghanistan predicted XI: Abidullah Nadarjan, Faridullah Ihsas, Subhan Zakhail, Noman Salarzai, Shah Faisal Rahimi, Tahir Sarwary, Amir Hamza, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Ali Barakzai, Abdullah Hamdard, Noor Ali Niazai