Aaryaveer Sehwag hits 70 as India beat Nepal by 10 wickets in Under-19 Asia Cup opener

India began their Under-19 Asia Cup campaign in Oman with a 10-wicket win over Nepal in the opening match played on Friday.

Nepal batted first and were bowled out for 128. India reached the target of 129 in 19.1 overs without losing a wicket. Aaryaveer Sehwag, son of former India batter Virender Sehwag, was the star of the win with 70 off 52 balls. Captain Laksh Raichandani also made a fine half-century, finishing on 53 not out.

Aaryaveer and Laksh gave India a strong start, attacking the Nepal bowlers from the outset and scoring quickly. Like his father, Aaryaveer played some fine shots all around the ground. He reached his fifty in 34 balls and remained unbeaten on 70 off 52 balls, with seven fours and four sixes.

Captain Laksh Raichandani also batted well, scoring an unbeaten 53 off 63 balls with the help of seven fours. Their batting saw India finish the match in 19.1 overs without losing a wicket. Ananya Dravid, son of former India captain Rahul Dravid, is also in India's squad for the tournament, but did not get a chance to bat in this match.

Nepal lost the toss and were put in to bat, but could not stand up to the Indian bowlers. They lost their first two wickets for 18 runs in 4.3 overs, and were 27 for 3 inside nine overs. The Indian bowlers kept up the pressure and did not allow the Nepal batters to play freely. India took the fourth wicket at 51, when Manal Chauhan dismissed Neeraj Kumar Yadav for 20.

Darsh Suthar made 43 and Ashish Lohar 29 as they tried to steady the innings. Indian bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, ending Nepal's hopes of a comeback. The whole Nepal side was bowled out for 128 in 42.3 overs.

For India, Ishan Sood and Arjun Rajput bowled well and took three wickets each. Yashvir Gaur took two wickets, while Manal Chauhan and Kavya Patel took one each.