Who's playing and what time?
It's India vs Pakistan, for the first time in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, being played in Zimbabwe and Namibia. The match on Sunday will start at 0730 GMT (1pm IST/12.30pm PST) in Bulawayo.
What's at stake in this India vs Pakistan clash?
It's the last game of the Super Sixes round and there's a semi-final spot at stake. England have already made it to the final four from Group 2, so only one of India (six points) and Pakistan (four points) can qualify. For India, it's straightforward - win and go through. It's not so simple for Pakistan, whose net run rate of 1.484 is significantly lower than India's 3.337. Pakistan will need to win by a big margin to equal India's six points and overtake then on net run rate. For example, if Pakistan bat first and post 300, they need to win by 85 runs. If they bowl first and restrict India to around 200, they will need to chase it down in around 31.5 overs. If the target is, say, 251, Pakistan will need win in about 33.2 overs to make the semi-finals.
When did India and Pakistan U-19 play last?
In the Under-19 Asia Cup final just over a month ago, Pakistan hammered India by 191 runs after scoring 347 in Dubai. India had beaten Pakistan by 90 runs in the group stage of that tournament.
What's their form been like in this U-19 World Cup?
India WWWW (completed matches, most recent first
Pakistan WWWL
Who are the players to watch?
Pitches in Bulawayo have not been that high-scoring, with 300 breached just once by a team batting first - India did it against Zimbabwe. Irrespective of the surface, keep your eyes on India's explosive opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He already has an IPL hundred (for Rajasthan Royals) and has a penchant for rapid starts and big scores.
Pakistan fast bowler Ali Raza could be threatening at the start. He has 12 wickets in the tournament - the joint second highest. Raza has already made his PSL debut (for Peshawar Zalmi) and also his senior debut in domestic cricket in all three formats. In the recent Asia Cup final against India, he landed big blows by removing both Sooryavanshi and India's captain Ayush Mhatre in the first five overs.
Stats and trivia
Despite some promising names in their line-up, India have no batters in the top 15 run-scorers of this World Cup so far
The last time Pakistan didn't make the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup was two editions ago, in 2022. For India, it was way back in 2014, when South Africa won the trophy under Aiden Markram. India have played all the finals since then and won it every alternate year, in 2018 and 2022.
Pakistan's Sameer Minhas scored 172 against India in the Under-19 Asia Cup final in December. That was the highest individual score in the final of an Under-19 tournament and also the highest score for Pakistan in youth ODIs.
India have played all four matches in Bulawayo this World Cup, where they scored 32.76 runs per wicket and at 6.32 runs per over. All other teams have an average of 22.33 and run rate of 4.61 at this venue in this tournament.
Spinners have taken 39 wickets in all in Bulawayo this World Cup, the most among the five venues.
