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Another era, another final, same nemesis: U19 Asia Cup extends Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 3–0 record vs India
Sarfaraz Ahmed has now achieved the rare feat of guiding Pakistan to victory over India in finals twice, once as captain and now as a mentor for the U19 team.
Sarfaraz Ahmed has spent most of his career living in Pakistan cricket’s high-noise zones, but on December 21, 2025, he stumbled into a rarer bracket: beating India in a final thrice, twice as a captain, now as a mentor.
On Sunday in Dubai, Pakistan Under-19s flattened India by 191 runs to win the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, with Sarfaraz listed by the PCB as the side’s mentor for the tournament.
The echo between 2017 and 2015
The headline number from the U19 final was brutal: Pakistan 347/8, India 156 all out in 26.2 overs. It was driven by opener Sameer Minhas’ 172 off 113 balls, the kind of innings that doesn’t just win matches, it rearranges the opposition’s mood before the chase even begins.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the blueprint rhymes loudly with June 18, 2017, the ICC Champions Trophy final at the Oval, when Sarfraz captained Pakistan to a 180-run demolition: 338/4 played 158 all out.
Different generations, same story arc: a towering first-innings total, then India collapsing well short of the chase.
The group-stage loss, the final revenge script
The symmetry isn’t limited to finals. Both campaigns began with a hard Indian punch and ended with Pakistan returning it with interest.
In the 2017 Champions Trophy, Pakistan were hammered by India in the group stage, losing by 124 runs, before transforming their tournament and storming the title clash.
Also Read: Mohsin Naqvi dodges another Asia Cup chaos, takes centerstage in Pakistan U19 celebrations after India rout
In the 2025 U19 Asia Cup, India again won the group meeting, beating Pakistan Under-19s by 90 runs. A week later, Pakistan flipped the rivalry in the only place that truly counts: the final.
That narrative, absorb early damage, recalibrate, peak on the last day, has long defined Pakistan’s most memorable limited-overs runs. And Sarfaraz, whether he is calling shots with gloves on or guiding from the boundary line, keeps appearing at the end of these particular storylines.
What Sarfaraz’s second final vs win actually means
It would be lazy to claim a mentor wins a match the way a captain does. But is fair to say Sarfaraz Ahmed now sits at a unique intersection of Pakistan’s India-final folklore: he led the execution in 2006 and 2017, and has been a part of the support spine in 2025, officially attached to the U19 group as a mentor.
Long before 2017, Sarfaraz had already built an India-final chapter at youth level too. In February 2006, he captained Pakistan to the ICC Under 19 World Cup title in Colombo, where Pakistan made 109 and bowled India out for 71 in the final, a 38-run win that announced his knack for high-stakes knockouts early in his life.
Put it together and the pattern becomes uncomfortable for India: 2006, 2017, 2025 - three different eras, three finals, and Sarfaraz's name sitting somewhere in Pakistan's winning room each time. Call it coincidence if you like. But for a rivalry that runs on memory and scars, Sarfaraz is starting to look less like a footnote and more like a recurring nemesis.
