Al Amerat, Oman, Nov 12: India beat Afghanistan by eight wickets in the second semi-final of the U-19 Asia Cup at Al Amerat, Oman, on Thursday. The Indian side registered a comfortable victory, powered by an impressive 93-run knock from skipper Lakshya Raichandani, to book their place in the final.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Afghanistan lost early wickets, with openers Abidullah Nadarjan and Faridullah Ihsas departing cheaply. The Indian bowling attack kept things tight during the opening overs, restricting Afghanistan to 39/1 after 10.2 overs.

Subhan Ali and Noman Salarzai then steadied the innings, with the former scoring 31 off 44 deliveries. Salarzai subsequently joined hands with Shah Faisal Rahimi to build a crucial partnership. Salarzai brought up his half-century off 78 balls, helping Afghanistan reach 143/4 in 36 overs.

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The Indian bowlers then struck back, with spinner Aryan Savsani taking two wickets in the 37th over. He dismissed Amir Hamza for a golden duck and Tahir Sarwary for just one run, reducing Afghanistan to 146/6.

However, Afghan skipper Sohail Khan and Rahimi revived the innings with a valuable 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket, taking their side past the 200-run mark. Rahimi scored 51 off 72 deliveries, while Sohail remained unbeaten on 36 off 44 balls.

Indian pacer Ishan Sood was instrumental in the bowling attack, claiming three wickets for 43 runs in nine overs. Afghanistan eventually finished with 227/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

In reply, India got off to a confident start, scoring 63 runs in the first powerplay. The opening pair of Aaryavir Sehwag and Raichandani laid a solid foundation, taking the score past 100 in just 15 overs.

Sehwag scored a fluent 51 off 57 deliveries before departing, while Raichandani continued to dominate the Afghan bowling attack. The Indian skipper struck 13 boundaries and a six in his 90-ball knock of 93, narrowly missing out on a century.

VK Vineeth provided excellent support with an unbeaten 57 off 62 balls, while Yashbardhan Chauhan remained not out on 16 off 14 deliveries as India completed the chase comfortably in 36.5 overs, finishing at 230/2.

The victory secured India's place in the tournament final, where they will face Pakistan on November 14. Raichandani was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.