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PlayersAaryavir Sehwag fulfils promise made to father as sparkling 160 powers India into U19 Asia Cup semi-final
Sehwag jr struck 17 fours and 7 sixes during his knock as India U19 thumped UAE U19 by 70 runs.
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Aaryavir Sehwag continued his impressive run of form in the Under-19 Asia Cup, smashing 160 off 168 balls for India against the UAE on Tuesday. This was his second substantial contribution in the tournament, following a 70 against Nepal last week. Sehwag's knock, studded with 17 fours and seven sixes, propelled India to 309/7 despite a mini-collapse towards the end of the innings.
In reply, UAE could only manage 239, with Ahmed Khudadad top-scoring with 74. Pacer Ishan Sood played a key role with figures of 4/37 as India U19 registered a convincing 70-run win to secure a place in Thursday's semi-final against Afghanistan.
“Feels amazing. When I started my innings, the thought process was to play long and bat for 40-50 overs. The wicket was challenging as it was turning. But everything went well, and I am grateful. I played a few dot balls in the beginning, but I believed that I could make up for them,” Sehwag said after bagging the Player-of-the-Match award.
With this, Sehwag registered his maiden century for India in Youth ODIs. He has already played marathon knocks of 297 in the Cooch Behar Trophy and 173 in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Delhi U19. So what goes behind this penchant for daddy hundreds? While accepting the award, Sehwag revealed the promise he had made to a certain someone that inspired him to turn this century into a big one.
"I wanted to make a big score. I had promised my father. I told him I would get a big hundred because he only respects big hundreds. It’s necessary to score 150 after 100 to make him happy. Feels great that I could do it,” he added.
How the innings unfolded
After captain Lakshya Raichandani fell for 17, the opener, who was subdued and patient during the first half of his innings, added 193 runs for the second wicket with VK Vineeth (67 off 69).
Sehwag enjoyed a bit of luck too. He was on 41 when the wicketkeeper put him down off Noorullah Ayobi on back-to-back deliveries. He was offered one more reprieve when the bowler grassed a caught-and-bowled chance while trying to stop a powerful drive. By then, however, Sehwag was well on course. Just how cautious the India opener had been can be gauged by the fact that at one stage he was 63 off 91 balls. Then the floodgates opened.
Fours and sixes became a more regular feature. The crisp cover drives gave way to flamboyance and powerful strikes. The trademark step-out six was a classic. Sehwag was particularly severe on left-arm wrist-spinner Uddish Suri, plundering him for two sixes and two fours in a 21-run 37th over. He reached both his 50 and 150 with sixes. Sehwag eventually perished while mistiming to mid-on, shaking his head as he walked back. Understandably so, as there was a double hundred for the taking. But even as he departed, Sehwag had done his bit.
The innings reflected what Sehwag had stated before the start of the tournament: that he wanted to bring a bit of Virat Kohli into his game, alongside his father's traits. The blend was evident in his approach.
“I love taking to the attack. I’m a huge Virat Kohli fan and like to play my cricket aggressively. Not just the Sehwag way but the Kohli way as well. I would love to dominate every side that comes against us and try to do as much as I can for the country and win games for India.”
Meanwhile, Vineeth crafted an impressive innings of his own. But it was Sehwag’s onslaught that laid the foundation for the highest total of the tournament so far.
“The pitch was a little bit slower. It was gripping in the first 15-20 overs. The first Powerplay was slow but challenging,” the left-handed Vineeth said at the break. “We were just taking our time in the first 20 overs. After that, if it was in the range, we decided to go for it. He [Aaryavir] did the hitting; I just supported him.”
For the UAE, Naseem Khan finished with figures of 4/48, dismissing Sehwag, Vineeth, Anvay Dravid and Manal Chauhan.
