Under-19 World Cup 2024: India overcomes South Africa scare to succeed in closing

India overcame a significant scare to remain on track for a record-extending sixth Under-19 World Cup title when it beat South Africa by two wickets in Tuesday’s semifinal.

Indian captain Uday Saharan made a composed 81 to see his workforce to the brink of victory earlier than he was run out with the scores stage at Willowmoore Park. Raj Limbani hit the subsequent ball for 4 to complete the sport.

Saharan and Sachin Dhas (96) rescued India from a precarious 32 for 4 in reply to South Africa’s 244 for seven. They added 171 runs for the fifth wicket.

Speaking by way of an interpreter on the after-match presentation, Saharan mentioned he didn’t take into consideration his workforce’s precarious state of affairs when he and Dhas got here collectively.

“I knew it was one partnership away and we needed to take the game deep,” he mentioned.

It was the second successive match by which Saharan and Dhas shared an enormous partnership. They each hit centuries in placing on 215 for the fourth wicket towards Nepal on Friday.

Kwena Maphaka, South Africa’s star left-arm quick bowler, dismissed Dhas and Avanish Aravelly in his closing spell. But he and Tristan Luus, who had collectively engineered India’s top-order collapse, had each accomplished their allocation of overs with 19 runs wanted and three overs remaining.

Maphaka, the match’s main wicket-taker with 21, took three for 32 and Luus claimed three for 37 – however their assist bowlers did not take any wickets.

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It was the primary time India had been stretched in a match by which it received its first 5 matches by huge margins, on every event batting first.

Saharan selected to bowl first on Tuesday and mentioned afterwards he was glad to have captained his workforce to victory in a decent match.

India will meet the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Pakistan and Australia within the closing on Sunday. Both matches are at Willowmoore Park.