India stormed into the final by defeating South Africa by two wickets

India advanced to the U19 World Cup 2024 final after defeating South Africa by two wickets, with stars of the show being Sachin Dhas and Uday Saharan.

On February 6, India defeated South Africa by two wickets to advance to their fifth consecutive U19 World Cup final. The players who stole the show were captain Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas.

The hosts were eliminated from the competition, but Uday and Sachin led the team home with poise well beyond their years. The top order collapsed.

With just seven balls remaining to win the thrilling match, India made South Africa regret the 26 extras they gave up. South Africa’s bowling attack pushed undefeated India to the brink, but Uday and Sachin would record the thrilling victory.

Even in senior cricket, the pair’s ability to maintain composure during a partnership was sometimes exceptional. Dhas, who had just scored a phenomenal hundred against Nepal in the final Super 6 match, was still flamboyant with his shots, particularly with the pull.

In contrast, the Indian captain chose to be the achor in the partnership and, after taking some strain, began to exploit the middle order runs, leaving the Proteas in search of explanations.

Saharan scored his third fifty to surpass Musheer as the tournament’s highest run scorer, and the pair’s partnership easily crossed the 100-run threshold. It appeared as though the two were trying to top their 215 run total from the previous game against Nepal. But Maphaka would return with Dhas, a cleverly disguised slower ball, to provide a much-needed breakthrough. The Indian batter was four runs short of a well-earned century when he was out for 96. The collaboration ended at 171 after just 187 deliveries.

The pressure began to build and we were in for a thrilling finish as India defeated Luus and another over from Maphaka to reduce the equation to 29 off 30 deliveries. Riley Norton would be hit for a spectacular straight drive by Aravelly Avanish, making the equation 21 off 24 balls. Aravelly returned to the pavilion with 19 required from the final three overs, but Maphaka struck with the final ball of his spell, giving the game yet another twist. India lost another wicket due to Murugan Abhishek’s poor running, and Uday was running out of partners.

When Limbani showed no trouble depositing Norton over the boundary line, the pressure was at its highest. After a swift double, the equation reduced to nine deliveries out of twelve. With a masterful cover drive, Uday would then put India back in control. When some amusing running forced Uday to return with two wickets left, the scores were tied. But in the end, Limbani scored the winning runs to send his team home.

In the final on February 11, India will now take on the victor of the second semifinal between Australia and Pakistan.

Scorecard of U19 World Cup 2024 ind vs sa

South Africa U19:

• Batting first, South Africa scored 244/7 in their 50 overs.
• Lhuan-dre Pretorius (76) and Richard Seletswane (64) were the top scorers for South Africa.
• Raj Limbani (3/60) was the pick of the Indian bowlers.

India U19:

• Chasing 245, India reached the target in 48.5 overs with 5 wickets remaining.
• Uday Saharan (57) and Nishant Kundu (47) were the key contributors with the bat for India.
• Johannes Mokoena (2/41) took the most wickets for South Africa.

Match result: India won by 5 wickets

Player of the Match: Uday Saharan (India)

Here are some additional details:

• India won the toss and elected to field.
• The match was played at Sahara Park Willowmoore Cricket Stadium in Benoni, South Africa.
• This victory means India has reached the final of the U19 World Cup for the ninth time.

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