India beat SA to reach fifth successive Under-19 WC final
India beat South Africa to reach the 2024 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final. A 171-run partnership between Sachin Dhas and Uday Saharan helped India chase down 245. The duo bailed India out from 32/4. Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Richard Seletswane scored fifties for SA, while India's Raj Limbani and Musheer Khan shared five wickets. India have reached their fifth successive Under-19 WC final.
SA compile 244/7 in 50 overs
SA lost Steve Stolk and David Teeger (46/2) under 10 overs after India elected to field. Pretorius and Seletswane then propelled the hosts past 110 before the former departed. Oliver Whitehead briefly joined Seletswane and took SA past 160. Skipper Juan James and Tristan Luus added valuable runs, guiding SA to 244/7. Limbhani took three wickets, while Musheer scalped two.
India get home after a remarkable comeback
India lost opener Adarsh Singh on the very first delivery. The in-form Musheer also departed soon. Luus was on fire, dismissing Arshin Kulkarni and Priyanshu Moliya as well. As a result, India plunged to 32/4 (11.2). Uday and Sachin steadied the ship thereafter. They took India past 200, with the visitors sensing victory. Although India lost four more wickets, Limbani scored the winning runs.
Back-to-back U-19 WC finals
As mentioned, India have reached their fifth back-to-back Under-19 World Cup final. They were the runners-up in 2022 when Bangladesh lifted the trophy. In 2018, the Prithvi Shaw-led India beat Australia in the final. The Men in Blue lost the 2016 final to West Indies. Overall, India will appear in their ninth final of the tournament.
Uday's fourth 50+ score of 2024 U-19 WC
Uday continues with his phenomenal run in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup. He arrived in the middle when India were reduced to 8/2. He held his nerves despite losing two more partners. Sachin Dhas then joined Uday as the duo added 171 runs. The former departed toward the chase's end for 81(124). It was his fourth 50+ score of the ongoing tournament.
Sachin plays a counter-attacking knock
While Uday focused on rotating the strike, his compatriot Sachin looked after the run-rate. He smashed a 95-ball 96, a knock laced with 11 fours and 1 six. Sachin slammed his second fifty-plus score of the 2024 U-19 World Cup. He hammered a century against Nepal in India's previous encounter. Before the Nepal game, Sachin's highest score was 26* vs Bangladesh U-19.
India to face either Australia or Pakistan
India will take on the winner of Australia-Pakistan clash in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final. While India have beaten Australia twice, they are yet to overcome Pakistan in the U-19 WC summit clash.
