The Indian team has booked its place in the final of the ongoing U19 World Cup in South Africa after overcoming early obstacles against the hosts South Africa on Tuesday (Feb 6). Riding on the excellent and reliable pair of captain Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas, India beat South Africa by two wickets to punch their ticket for the summit clash. The Boys in Blue will now face the winner of Australia and Pakistan who meet in the other semifinal on Wednesday. With the win, India are now on the brink of their sixth title while also reaching the final on a record ninth occasion in the junior division.
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Poor start to chase
Chasing 245 runs to win, India had a bad start after they lost Adarsh Singh (0) on the first ball of the innings. Matters went from bad to worse in the fourth over as Musheer Khan (4) was dismissed to make India’s situation vulnerable. All-rounder Arshin Kulkarni (12) and Priyanshu Moliya (5) soon followed the already departed pair to make India’s situation vulnerable at 32/4, putting the hosts as the favourite to reach the final.
However, a rescue act from the pair of Saharan and Dhas saw India return back into the contest as they stitched a partnership of 171 runs for the fifth wicket. Dhas was unfortunate to miss out on a back-to-back hundred and was dismissed for 96.
However, his wicket did not change the equation as India needed just 43 runs to win at that stage. Captain Saharan (81) and Raj Limbani (unbeaten 13) got the Boys in Blue home.
Tristan Luus and Kwena Maphaka were the in-form bowlers for the Proteas but could not guide their team to the final.
Earlier, South Africa posted 244/5 with Lhuan-dre Pretorius (74) and Richard Seletswane (64) being the top scorers. It was also the first time India conceded 200 runs in the tournament. Raj Limbani was the pick of the bowlers having ended with figures of 60/3 in his nine overs.
India will now face either Australia or Pakistan in the final on Sunday as they look to add a sixth U19 World Cup title to their trophy cabinet.
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