Ulva: 'I knew it was my day and I'll finish the game'

Mohit Ulva hit a last-ball four as India pulled off a thrilling chase to pip Pakistan to the Under-19 Asia Cup title

Mohit Ulva, who hit a last-ball boundary in a thrilling final against Pakistan to help India win the Under-19 Asia Cup title in Oman on Saturday, came out to bat at No. 10 in the chase, but said he has always believed that he is an allrounder, and that he had complete faith in himself to finish the game with the bat.

With three runs to win off the final delivery, Ulva stepped out and drilled legspinner Ahmed Hussain wide of mid-off to seal a sensational win.

"I just had belief in myself. I had belief in God," he said after the match. "The Asia Cup hadn't been that great for me as a bowler. But I believe in me that I am an allrounder. But till now I didn't get the opportunity to prove it.RelatedUlva pulls off heist as India lift Under-19s Asia Cup after thriller against Pakistan

"But I had belief in myself that I would do it. I needed Manal [Chauhan]'s support, the way he went and set the momentum before me. I just had to go and deliver."

Ulva came out to bat in the 42nd over, with India needing 86 runs from 51 balls, with two wickets in hand. He then shared a 57-run stand with No. 7 Chauhan, which kept India in the contest. But Chauhan's dismissal in the 48th over left them needing 29 off 16 deliveries, and no room for error.

Ulva knew he had to do the heavy lifting, with the last batter Chigurupati Venkata playing his first game of the tournament. Ulva smashed a four and six off the first two deliveries of the penultimate over, and an edged four from Venkata meant India needed eight off the final over. However, they failed to find a boundary off the first five deliveries of the over, before Ulva sealed victory with the final-ball four.

Speaking about his thoughts in that nervy final over, Ulva said he was "just waiting for one ball".

"I knew I would hit a boundary and I'll finish the game. I had faith in God," he said. "I knew it was my day, and I'll finish it. I always believe that I will do it in the end."Manal Chauhan started India's fightback after they slid to 252 for 8•ACC Photo by Image Solution R/Suman Chattopadhyay

Ulva credited his partners Venkata and Chauhan for boosting his confidence.

"The belief Venkata gave me especially. He told me that I'll play, and you just [go finish the game]," Ulva said. "Manal also gave me belief. He told me that if we play the last ball, we'll win it. I also had that belief in myself that if I play the last ball, I'll finish the game."

At the halfway mark of the game, India were staring at a target that had never been chased in Youth ODIs before, but Ulva said there was belief in the dressing room that it was a good pitch to bat on, and that it wasn't a target out of their reach.

"It was very simple. [The discussion in the dressing room was] they made a score, so we can make it too," Ulva said. "We had faith in our batting because our batting is strong. We knew that it was a flat wicket. If we have wickets in our hands, it will happen."

Opener Aaryavir Sehwag set the tone with a 61-ball 58, but after he was dismissed, captain Lakshya Raichandani anchored the innings. Raichandani held firm, despite Pakistan picking off regular wickets at the other end, but was eventually dismissed for 80, starting a slide which saw India go from 217 for 4 to 252 for 8.Aaryavir Sehwag hit a half-century to give India a strong start in the final•ACC Photo by Image Solution R/Suman Chattopadhyay

"The way Lakshya set the innings, the way he played. Unfortunately, he got out," Ulva said. "Otherwise, he would have finished the game himself. But we all had faith in ourselves. [Yere Goud, India Under-19 head coach] also had faith that we would do it. Before my batting, he himself told me that you will do it. You just keep faith in yourself.

"So I was just watching the ball and hitting it. I was not thinking about what was going on. I was just watching the ball and hitting it."

Chauhan, who was dismissed for 47, said he was in tears when he went back to the dugout at a crucial juncture, before Ulva ensured India's victory.

"At that time, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I had tears in my eyes because opportunities like this are very rare," he said. "And we had come so close to winning the match. But Ulva did the job in such a way that there was no need to say anything further."

Chauhan said Ulva had words of encouragement when the two came together at the crease. "He only said that we can finish, just trust your process, [and] trust yourself," Chauhan said."I can't believe what I have witnessed as a viewer because I got out and was watching from the outside. Crazy feeling, mazaa aa gaya (that was fun)."Aaryavir Sehwag on the win

Chauhan credited head coach Goud and the support staff for backing him in a finisher's role, and spoke about how he was calculating the chase when the asking rate was climbing and India did not have many wickets in hand.

"At that point, I just had faith in myself," he said. "I was doing calculations - if I get even one hit in an over, then with four singles, we can easily maintain a run rate of ten. So I was thinking that I just have to get one boundary in every over."

India's skipper Raichandani said they stayed optimistic through a "rollercoaster" match, and he wasn't surprised by the lower order coming good with the bat.

"No, I always believed in them. We were playing with eight, nine, almost 11 batters, and I wasn't surprised," he said.

His opening partner Sehwag said he was "short of words", but termed the win "a miracle" and said he still had goosebumps after the win.

"I can't believe what I have witnessed as a viewer because I got out and was watching from the outside," he said. "Crazy feeling, mazaa aa gaya (that was fun)," Sehwag said.