Tariq Mahmood, whose unbeaten 45 and 88-run sixth-wicket stand with Fawad Alam guided Pakistan to victory against India, in action in Dhaka on Sunday. (AFP)

Dhaka: Favourites India were dumped out of the under-19 World Cup by arch-rivals Pakistan who beat them by five wickets in a low-scoring semi-final on Sunday.

Pakistan overhauled the modest Indian total of 169 in 44.5 overs although not without some drama as they were struggling at 83 for five in the 28th over. But Tariq Mahmood’s unbeaten 45 and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 43 took their side to a comfortable win in the end.

India did sniff a genuine chance of winning the match, since the Pakistan lower-order had not been tested in the tournament. But as it so happened, Pakistan found two able hands in Mahmood and Alam. They will now meet the winner of the England-West Indies semi-final in the final on March 5.

The Indian batsmen failed to make use of a good batting track as they were all out in 47.3 overs.

The Pakistani bowlers, four of whom took two wickets apiece, struck at regular intervals as India struggled to get a partnership going.

In-form opener Shikhar Dhawan (8) was the first to go when Khalid Latif caught him off seamer Ali Imran in the sixth over.

Dhawan had scored 497 runs with three centuries and one fifty in this tournament at an average of 99.40 before Sunday’s match.

Praful Waghela (0) departed in the very next over as India were reduced to 24 for two. Opener Robin Uthappa, who was struggling for runs in this tournament, then added 49 valuable runs for the third wicket with Rakesh Solanki before the latter was run out after making 21.

Two overs later Uthappa joined him in the pavilion when he fell to off-spinner Salman Qadir after making 33.

Dinesh Karthik, stand-in skipper in the absence of Ambati Rayudu who sat out with a one-match ban, did not last long as he too was dismissed by Qadir.

The Pakistan youngster, son of legendary leg-spinner Abdul Qadir, ended with figures of two for 27 from his spell of ten overs.

Pakistan continued to apply the brakes on the famed Indian batting, which had amassed 316 against Sri Lanka in their last match.

But for Sunny Singh’s 25 and Abhishek Sharma’s quickfire 21 not out off 26 balls, the Indian innings would have folded up inside the 150-run mark.

The Pakistan spinners did not just dried up the runs, they kept taking wickets at regular intervals to ensure that India never got a chance to proceed to a big total.

It was a shocking letdown by the Indian batsmen, who were in roaring form in the tournament, starting with a massive 425 against Scotland. But when it mattered, they crumbled. (PTI)