India survived a major scare in the first semifinal of the ongoing ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2024 on Tuesday (February 6) as they pipped South Africa at Willowmoore Park in Benoni to advance to their fifth-consecutive World Cup final and ninth overall.
India’s skipper Uday Sharan (81 off 124 balls) played a pivotal role alongside Sachin Dhas (96 off 95 balls) in securing a hard-fought win which seemed unlikely at one’s stage when they were reduced to 32/4 while chasing 245.
Player of the Match, Saharan, disclosed that despite being well behind at one point, he knew that “it was a matter of one partnership”.
“It is a great feeling to reach the final. We got a taste of close games, and that will be good in the final. We don’t let the morale get low in the dressing room at all — our environment and coaches are superb,” Saharan told the host broadcaster.
“Yes, we were well behind at one point. But we kept saying that we have to bat till the end. It was a matter of one partnership,” he added.
Saharan, 19, also mentioned that the wicket became conducive for batting during the later half of India’s innings and it eventually helped.
“When I walked into bat, the ball was nipping a bit, and there was a good bounce. But later it (ball) started coming onto the bat better.”
On the other hand, the South African skipper Juan James acknowledged that the 171-run stand between Saharan and Sachin for the fifth wicket (India’s highest-ever fifth-wicket stand in U19 Men’s cricket World Cup history) took the game away from their grasp.
“When they were batting, when we had them four down, Uday and Sachin batted really well. That’s something we’ve struggled with the whole tournament (breaking partnerships). But we never gave up,” said James.