New Delhi [India], November 14 (ANI): Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised India U19 batter Aaryavir Sehwag for his impressive performance in the 2026 ACC Men's Under-19 Asia Cup, saying his father and former India opener Virender Sehwag must be proud of his showing in the tournament.
India clinched the continental title with a thrilling one-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Saturday, chasing down a target of 338 in the final over.
Sharing a post on X after India's triumph, Ganguly congratulated the team and singled out Aaryavir, who was named Player of the Tournament after an impressive run with the bat.
"Well done India under19 .. superb performance .. young Sehwag .. what a tournament he had.. every other member of the team as well .. Veeru must be very proud @virendersehwag," Ganguly wrote.
Aaryavir, the elder son of Virender Sehwag, scored 361 runs across five matches, including a century and three half-centuries. He also played a key role in the final, scoring 58 off 61 deliveries alongside captain Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani, who made 80 off 101 balls.
Several former India cricketers joined Ganguly in congratulating the Under-19 team for its hard-fought victory.
Irfan Pathan praised the team's fighting spirit, writing on X, "What a win by our u19 boys vs Pakistan. Showed the real fighting character. Brilliant to see."
Former India opener Aakash Chopra also lauded the youngsters, saying, "An absolutely stellar win by our Under-19 boys against Pakistan in the Asia Cup finals. So so proud and happy for each one of them. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat"
Dinesh Karthik highlighted the team's ability to recover from a difficult position in the final, writing, "Amazing win for these young bunch of boys in the Asia cup.well played Team India yet again. The mettle and the courage to win a game from that position in the finals says a lot about them and the Determination and the fighting spirit and our sporting culture. Indian Cricket is in safe hands and we seem to thrive under pressure."
Mayank Agarwal also congratulated the side, posting, "What a chase! Incredible! Well done, boys. Super proud."
India's chase in the final was anchored by Raichandani and Aaryavir before Manal Chauhan scored 47 off 32 balls to keep the team in contention. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Mohit Ulva stepped up with an unbeaten 49 off 26 deliveries, including five fours and three sixes, to take India across the finish line. Chigurupati Venkata remained unbeaten on 11.
Earlier, Pakistan had posted 337/9 after opting to bat, with Usman Khan scoring 107, Abdul Qadir making 80 and captain Farhan Yousaf contributing 63. For India, Kavya Patel claimed four wickets, while Chigurupati Venkata took three.
The victory ended India's five-year wait for the Under-19 Asia Cup title, with their previous triumph coming in 2021. India remain the tournament's most successful team with nine titles. (ANI)
‘Veeru must be very proud’: Ganguly lauds Aaryavir Sehwag after India U-19 Asia Cup triumph
