India beat South Africa by 2 wickets to secure 5th straight and 9th overall U-19 World Cup final spot

Led by splendid fifties from Sachin Dhas and captain Uday Saharan, five-time champions India overcame nerve-wracking moments to secure a thrilling two-wicket victory over South Africa on Tuesday in Benoni, propelling them into the final of the Under-19 World Cup for the ninth time. 

Dhas showcased remarkable form, scoring 96 runs off 95 balls, including 11 boundaries and 1 six, while Saharan contributed 81 runs off 124 balls, featuring 6 fours. The duo, who both notched up centuries in the previous match against Nepal, formed a crucial partnership of 171 runs for the fifth wicket. India successfully chased down the target of 245 with just 7 balls to spare, ensuring the Boys in Blue their fifth successive final berth in the marquee event.

In the upcoming final, India will encounter either Australia or Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday, as they aim to secure their sixth trophy in this prestigious tournament.

India's chase began in tumultuous fashion, resembling a debris yard as they lost four wickets for just 32 runs within the 12th over. The South African new-ball bowler, Kwena Maphaka, dealt the initial blow to India's innings by dismissing Adarsh Singh with a climbing delivery that forced him to snick it to wicket-keeper Lhuan-dre Pretorious.

Maphaka's partner, Tristan Luus, quickly joined the fray by claiming the wickets of Musheer Khan, Arshin Kulkarni, and Priyanshu Moliya. All three Indian batters were left indecisive outside the off-stump, their bats hanging out to dry.

However, India found their saviors in Dhas and Saharan, who showcased innings of vastly contrasting nature and tempo. While Dhas remained aggressive despite the challenging situation, Saharan opted to steadily hold his end, stabilizing the innings.

Dhas' innings epitomized masterful execution of cross-batted shots, as he unleashed a six and drove fours, alongside expertly placed nudges through the vacant spots on the on-side.

In contrast, Saharan adopted a more traditional approach but didn't shy away from showcasing exquisite drives or sharp cuts whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Dhas reached his fifty in just 47 balls, punctuating the milestone with a powerful pull off pacer Riley Norton, while Saharan achieved his half-century in 88 balls, elegantly driving a cover off-spinner Juan James.

In addition, Saharan ascended to the position of the highest run-scorer in this World Cup, accumulating 389 runs.

Despite their youthful vigor, these two players exhibited remarkable maturity by capitalizing on their solid start, accumulating runs and maintaining pressure on the hosts throughout the innings.

Dhas was within reach of his second century in this tournament, but Maphaka, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, outwitted him with a deceptive slower ball, which Dhas could only scoop to David Teeger at covers.

However, the breakthrough arrived slightly late as India managed to scrape past the finish line despite the unfortunate run-out of Saharan when the scores were level.

Earlier, the bowlers played a pivotal role in India's triumph, containing the 2014 champions South Africa to 244 for 7 on a pitch that provided substantial assistance.

South Africa found resilience through wicketkeeper-batsman Lhuan-dre Pretorious (76 runs off 102 balls) and Richard Seletswane (64 runs off 100 balls) after losing early wickets, but their efforts weren't sufficient to unsettle the visitors.

Pretorious and Seletswane stitched together a partnership of 72 runs for the third wicket, but it took them nearly 22 overs to do so.

The South African top-order struggled to find momentum against the pace duo of Naman Tiwari (1/52) and Raj Limbani (3/60) from India, who extracted significant pace, bounce, and carry from the Willowmoore track.

Even during the partnership between Seletswane and Pretorious as they rebuilt the South African innings, they found it challenging to accelerate the run rate, which predominantly remained below four runs per over.

The left-arm spinners Saumey Pandey and Musheer Khan (2/43), along with off-spinner Priyanshu Moliya, effectively curtailed the progress of the host batters by bowling with precision and control.

Pretorious attempted to inject momentum into the innings by hitting Moliya for a six over mid-wicket, but his departure halted the burgeoning partnership.

The left-hander, who secured his third successive fifty in this tournament, aimed to dispatch Musheer over mid-wicket, but a leaping Murugan Abhishek grabbed a sensational catch to cut short his innings.

Seletswane, unable to capitalize on the platform, soon departed to Tiwari, as his attempted hoick landed in the hands of a charging Moliya in the deep.

Despite the late contributions from James (24 runs off 19 balls) and Luus (23 runs off 12 balls), which helped South Africa accumulate 81 runs in the final 10 overs, it wasn't enough to stall the Indian juggernaut.

Brief Scores:

South Africa 244/7 in 50 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorious 76, Richard Seletswane 64; Raj Limbani 3/60) lost to India 248 for 8 in in 48.5 overs (Sachin Dhas 96, Uday Saharan 81; Kwena Maphaka 3/32, Tristan Luus 3/37) by two wickets.