South Africa (Commonwealth) _ In a thrilling semifinal match in Benoni, South Africa, the hosts of the Under-19 World Cup, presented India with its toughest test yet for their championship defence. Then, skipper Uday Saharan and batsman Sachin Dhas put on a pivotal 171-run partnership that established the tone for a thrilling comeback win. India is currently in their sixth consecutive final, where they will be facing the winner of Pakistan against Australia on Thursday.
India made the decision to pursue for the first time in the competition. And they were on the rack with a chase of 245 at 32 for 4. In an exciting opening burst when every ball was an event of its own, South Africa’s speed assault provided fire, antagonism, and lots of thrills. In the men’s Under-19 World Cup, India required Saharan’s mettle and Dhas’s calm demeanor to pull off a record fifth-wicket partnership.
Nevertheless, India had late nerves as Dhas, Aravelly Avanish, and Murugan Abhishek fell in short succession, despite the historic alliance. With three wickets remaining, India needed to score 18 off 16.After landing three tremendous smashes in the first over, swing bowler Raj Limbani flicked his opening ball for six over deep midwicket, bringing India extremely close to victory.
Saharan came dangerously close to taking India home, but India only needed one run. Distraught at not being able to complete the task, it took him a lifetime to go, but he was not going to be stopped when Limbani belted a boundary off Nquobani Mokoena, setting off happy scenes in the Indian camp. Following their top order being nearly unplayable in the opening stints by Kwena Maphaka and Tristan Luus, South Africa was devastated and puzzled as to how they had let India to escape.
Adarsh Singh was dismissed by Maphaka with a lifter that he gloved to the wicketkeeper off the opening ball of India’s chase. Luus, on the opposite side, repeatedly struck Musheer Khan with inswingers prior to forcing him to fend off a short ball into the slips. Considering that Musheer had been the cornerstone of India’s batting unit throughout the competition, his wicket was significant.
Known for his powerful swing and explosive beginnings, Arshin Kulkarni tried to contain his aggression until he flung his hands at a delivery that was heading out of bounds and was caught in the slips, while keeper Lhuan-dre Pretorius stopped Priyanshu Moliya’s wayward drive. The musicians were already on stage, and the home crowd was yelling.
Dhas and Saharan first avoided the short balls by dodging and weaving, as if they weren’t bothered by South Africa’s quick strike effort making them appear unattractive. Then, when they gradually consumed the enormous target. They realized the feet and timing perfect. Dhas was little more enterprising as he continued to pull limits off of every stray offering, but Saharan was still quite hardworking.
Dhas had suffered a cut to his teeth while playing in the World Cup. He has never once faced more than 20 deliveries in an innings during the tournament prior to Tuesday. But he accepted the task, seeing it as his chance to perform. Dhas and Saharan had saved India from a similar situation last week against Nepal, when they had lost three early wickets. Their comeback was all the more impressive since the stakes were higher and the bowling was of a far better caliber—possibly the best of the competition.
After Limbani’s massive inswing had made the ball speak, India’s variety of spin options suffocated South Africa before their batsmen took the lead. With a 72-run third-wicket partnership, Pretorius and Richard Seletswane attempted to salvage the innings from 46 for 2, but they needed 22.1 overs to do it, placing tremendous pressure on the lower middle order to gain pace.
In an attempt to compensate for Seletswane’s slump, Pretorius went in pursuit of huge scores; at one point, he was on 25 not out of 75 balls. The spin team of Saumy Pandey and Musheer was able to dictate terms as this pressure gradually built up on South Africa’s lower order. Spin accounted for 31-2-120-3 figures in total.
South Africa edged closer to 250 thanks to some huge blows from skipper Juan James and Luus, with the final five overs yielding 49 runs. Before they faced Saharan and Dhas, this provided South Africa more than a fighting chance, which their fast bowlers built on substantially.
South Africa Under-19s- 244 for 7 (Pretorius 76, Seletswane 64, Limbani 3-60, Musheer 2-43) lost to India Under-19s 248 for 8 (Dhas 96, Saharan 81, Maphaka 3-32, Luus 3-37) by two wickets.
