India emerged victorious against South Africa to advance to the final of the Under-19 World Cup at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Tuesday. Skipper Uday Saharan and batsman Sachin Dhas forged an exciting 171-run partnership that helped lead their side to an easy two wicket win during an exciting semifinal encounter.
Raj Limbani continues his impressive work against right-handed batters by striking again to dismiss them, before Richard Seletswane steps to the crease and completes a successful double play.
Scorecard
South Africa will take on India in the Under-19 World Cup’s first semi-final at Willowmoore Park, Benoni on Tuesday. South Africa have already made history at this edition of the competition by reaching a final without dropping a match – only Australia managed it before them (in 2024 edition).
The Proteas had an outstanding opening to their tournament campaign as they defeated Scotland, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka easily in the opening rounds. From there they secured top spot in their pool by defeating England and Pakistan before scoring key wins over Australia in quarter finals to reach India for their semi final clash.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored an outstanding 76 off 62 balls to guide South Africa to 244/7 after 50 overs, supported by late hitting from Richard Seletswane. Raj Limbani of India proved most effective bowler with three wickets against Steve Stolk, David Teeger and Juan James while Musheer Khan and Soumya Pandya Pandya both picked up two wickets each.
Uday Saharan helped India move closer to its target with some impressive batting from Uday Saharan. He struck several boundaries before being run out while trying to take a single. With one more over left, he could have made history for India but mistimed his shot and missed its target boundary instead.
Kwena Maphaka then triumphed against Dhas as he removed him and left India needing only one run to secure victory in their last over with Saharan on strike. Tristan Luus made three runs before Maphaka ran out Yash Dhull for another loss leaving just one run required off their last over for victory – another boost for Indian pressure against Proteas!
South Africa – 245 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 60; Tristan Luus 3-8)
South Africa had previously proven their dominance in Test cricket, yet struggled in one-day internationals. Their series losses against New Zealand and Sri Lanka contributed to their reputation for “choking” at major tournaments; at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup they reached the semi-final but lost out to Australia, ultimately going on to become winners of the tournament.
South Africa developed their team during the first decade of the 20th century to a point that it could compete with England and Australia and even challenge for victory against them, before apartheid was instituted and the team banned by ICC. Unfortunately, however, South African’s cricketing success was cut short when an apartheid ban was enforced which forced an early end to this phase of development.
Major Warton organized an inaugural Test match between an English side led by Major Warton and a South African XI in Port Elizabeth on 18 April 1909. Although this side did not count as full strength players, their performance in each match – though losing by an innings and 288 runs in one and 95 runs in another – was highly competitive and could still cause difficulties for Major Warton’s touring English team.
Richard Seletswane attempted to build on the platform but his attempt ended up with Moliya bowling him and caught and bowled chances in the deep, giving Raj Limbani another wicket and breaking their partnership.
Seletswane continued their struggles, falling lbw in the 47th over to Mohinder Amarnath’s spinner on an edged delivery that hit wicketkeeper KP, prompting Lhuan-dre Pretorius to join Lhuan-dre Pretorius who then hit two consecutive boundaries to add his personal total and help the home team reach 245/6 at tea time.
South Africa took an early lead with some powerful shots, but India’s Yash Dhull quickly began dominating with his bat and took control of the game with swift hitting.
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India – 245 (Uday Saharan 81; Kwena Maphaka 3-26)
India overcame a major scare to reach the semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup and remain on course for an unprecedented sixth crown in this competition. Uday Saharan’s composed 81 helped lead them close to victory at Willowmoore Park before being run out with just one ball remaining and Raj Limbani hitting an unassailable boundary to seal two-wicket victory for India.
South Africa implemented an excellent plan to play slow and steady cricket, and they executed it flawlessly during their opening ten overs of innings. Batsmen built partnerships easily while creating pressure on India bowlers; Tristan Luus and Kwena Maphaka then came forward and took crucial wickets at important moments.
Virender Sehwag’s 57-ball knock was marked by two sixes and three fours, helping India set off in style against South Africa at Willowmoore Park. But Sachin Dhas was ultimately responsible for turning around their innings when their side were reduced to 32/4 and appeared unbeatable – an innings which saw his side overcome the seemingly insurmountable task at hand and reach 327/5 by tea time.
Uday Saharan contributed an unbeaten 81 from 113 balls to help set up the highest five-wicket partnership ever seen at an Under-19 World Cup tournament. Together they accumulated 71 runs between them on their fifth wicket – setting an Under-19 World Cup record!
Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas are currently India’s key players at the Under-19 World Cup. Together they share an excellent understanding, looking forward to leading their side into tomorrow’s big match with India vs Mexico. It will be fascinating to witness their performance!
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