In the U-19 World Cup final, India will either face Australia or Pakistan.
Benoni: Uday Saharan led from the front and was ably supported by Sachin Dhas as India stormed into the final of the ongoing U-19 World Cup with a two-wicket win over South Africa on Tuesday. This is India’s ninth qualification in the U-19 World Cup final. Chasing 245 to win, India were off to a worst possible start, losing four wickets with just 32 runs on board. But Saharan (81, 124b, 6×4) and Dhas (96, 95b, 11×4, 1×6) stitched together 171 runs for the fifth wicket to revive the sinking ship. In the final, India will face either Australia or Pakistan, who will play in the second semifinal on February 8. The final will be played on February 11.
Batting first, South Africa rode on knocks from Lhuan-dre Pretorius (76) and Richard Seletswane (64) to post 244/7. Raj Limbani was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3/60 while Musheer Khan got two wickets. In reply, India lost opener Adarsh Singh on the very first ball of the match.
Musheer Khan, who had a brilliant run in the group stages, was out for just four runs before Arshin Kulkarni perished with just 25 runs on board. Priyanshu Moliya added more misery to the Indian hopes. It was then Saharan and Dhas who took the responsibility on their shoulders.
The #BoysInBlue are into the FINAL of the #U19WorldCup! 🥳
A thrilling 2⃣-wicket win over South Africa U-19 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Ay8YmV8QDg#TeamIndia | #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/wMxe7gVAiL
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2024
The Indian duo batted with calm and composure and waited for the loose balls to hit for boundaries. Saharan and Dhas absorbed the pressure beautifully and paced the innings according to the situation. However, things got tricky a bit towards the end with Dhas falling just four runs short of his well-deserved hundred, but that didn’t deter Saharan as he played the captain’s knock to stay there. Although he was unluckily dismissed in the penultimate over of the game, Raj Limbani hit the winning run to seal their spot in the final. For South Africa, Kwena Maphaka and Trsitan Luus took three wickets each.
Saharan, who was the Player of the Match, admitted India were well behind at one point, but it was a matter of just one partnership which would turn the game around. “We were well behind at one point. Kept saying one thing that we have to bat till the end. Was a matter of one partnership,” he said.
What an extraordinary win for the Boys in Blue! Congratulations for their success in the ICC U19 World Cup semi-final 1 against South Africa, driven by Raj Limbani’s exceptional performance, taking three wickets along with Uday Saharan and Sachin Das’s remarkable… pic.twitter.com/hrUnfY4kIk
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 6, 2024
“When I walked into bat, ball was nipping a bit, and there was good bounce. Later it started coming onto the bat better. We don’t let the morale get low in the dressing room at all – our environment and coaches are superb. Great feeling to reach the final. Got a taste of close games,” he added.