On Tuesday, February 6, in Benoni, India defeated South Africa in the semi-final of the ICC U-19 World Cup, thanks in large part to the efforts of skipper Uday Saharan and player Sachin Dhas. In the final, which is set for February 11, India will play either Australia or Pakistan.
During the 245-run chase, South Africa’s pace attack pushed India to 32/4. Saharan (81) and Dhas (96), however, stabilized the innings and enabled India to reach the mark with seven balls remaining. After the game, Dhas said that even after losing a few wickets early in the innings, the pair never gave up and had a plan to bat to the very finish.
“We were going to bat to the very end. We were confident that we could persevere. It’s well though, since we won the match and that’s what counts—even though we couldn’t finish the chase. News18 cited Sachin as stating, “I was telling Uday that we would play till the end.”
We had anticipated playing patiently, managing our innings, and being aware of the opposition’s bowling attack. Our constant dialogue revolved around extending our batting innings to allow us to manipulate the game. South Africa had good bowling. It was therefore somewhat difficult. However, Uday and I had to have faith, believing that we could win the game with single, significant cooperation.”
When questioned about how the tri-series in South Africa prior to the 50-over U-19 World Cup benefited them, Sachin Dhas said that it did so in several ways.
The 19-year-old continued by saying that their excellent preparation had enabled them to fully comprehend the pitch. Next, he took a moment to thank Saharan for all of his support during the game.
We greatly benefited from the competition held in South Africa prior to the World Cup. We acclimated ourselves to the field, the climate, and the surroundings. We bonded nicely and had excellent practice. That series was very helpful, and our hitters looked well. Throughout the competition, Uday has also batted brilliantly. Additionally, he supported me during our collaboration, telling me time and time again that we could and should accomplish our goals. Hence, Uday deserves all the credit,” Dhas said.
He added that they will take into account how they performed in the 2022 edition, in which India defeated England by four wickets to claim the trophy.
“We were the winners last time as well, and we’ll work hard to play well and take the title this time around. There’s a lot of faith in the crew. Making a statement is not the goal. But I think teams must have realized by now that we can be successful both as a leading squad and as a pursuing team,” Dhas said.
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