India and Pakistan share a group with Japan and the UAE, and both will be considered favourites to qualify out of the group and reach the semifinals stage. However, it will be a must-win for each side, not just due to bragging rights but because it means the team can make zero missteps the rest of the way if they have intentions of winning the tournament.

Most significantly, however, the match and the tournament as a whole stands as a chance for the teams to display some of their finest young talent, providing a platform for some exciting names to compete at this stage and represent their country in an important tournament. India will be captained by Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Amaan, who already led the U-19 team in the home ODI series against Australia, where India won all three youth ODIs and platformed some names for the future.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will be captained by wicketkeeper Saad Baig, who will be leading a group of players aiming to win only their second U-19 Asia Cup, and even toss their hat in the ring for a fast-track to the national team. With plenty of movement within the Pakistan camp, this should be seen as an opportunity for these youngsters to seize the initiative. It will also be a chance for the team to crack the dominance that India has shown in this tournament, getting one over on their fiercest rivals.

Indian fans will be excited to watch Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action, the left-handed batter who shot into national consciousness when he registered a century against Australia U-19 in the Youth Test series despite competing at just the age of 13. Now the youngest player ever by far to earn an IPL contract, receiving INR 1.1 crore from Rajasthan Royals for the chance to develop him into India’s future, there will be more hype and expectation on the youngster’s back, and it will be important to see how he copes with the weight of expectation from a cricket-hungry nation.

Other names that Indians will keep an eye on will include Ayush Mhatre, who has been opening the batting for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy at just 17 years of age, as well as Andre Siddharth, who was picked up by CSK in the auction last weekend, and Mohammed Enaan, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the ODIs as well as the Tests against Australia U-19 earlier this year.

The match kicks off in Dubai with both teams hungry for a win, setting the stage for what they will hope will be a successful U-19 Asia Cup campaign over the next week.