DUBAI: India’s opening batter – Harnoor Sing scored a magnificent hundred to help his side defeat United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a massive margin of 154 runs in the opening match of the Under-19 Asia Cup.

Batting first, India started poorly; losing their first wicket for just five runs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was the batter, who departed after scoring just two.

Harnoor and Shaik Rasheed then, partnered strongly; adding a brilliant 90-runs partnership to put their side into the commanding position. Rasheed departed after scoring an anchored inning of 35 runs, he faced 60 deliveries. Yash Dull then joined Harnoor, this pair was even handier; recording an astonishing 120 runs. Dull scored 63 off 68 balls, including four boundaries, followed by the top-scorer, Harnoor, who scored 120 off 130 balls, laced with 11 boundaries.

Later, a brilliant inning of Rajvardhan Hangargekar helped the men in blue to amass a commendable total of 282/5 in the allotted 50 overs. The batter scored quickfire 48, facing just 23 balls, and hit six boundaries and two maximums.

For UAE, Alishan Sharafu took two wickets, while Aayan Afzal Khan struck out a batter.

In response, the hosts started their run-chase decently, the opening pair provided a fair 32-runs stand, before Aryansh Sharma dismissed after scoring just five. Kai Smith and Dhuv Parashar then looked to anchor the innings; adding 27-runs for the second wicket. Parashar, however, fell short after scoring 19 off 28 balls.

The hosts then ran into a collapse, slipping from 65/1 to 128 all-out; losing their last nine wickets for just 63 runs. Aryansh remained the top scorer for his side; scoring 45 off 70 deliveries.

For India, Rajvardhan Hangargekar claimed three wickets for just 24 runs, while Garv Sangwan, Vicky Ostwal, and Kaushal Tambe took two wickets apiece.

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