India’s dreams of a record sixth Under-19 World Cup title was kept alive following a thrilling two-wicket win over hosts South Africa in the first semi-final on Tuesday.
India are the most successful side in the history of the competition and have reached the final in each of the last five edition of the U19 World Cup, making it nine appearances in the final overall.
It wasn’t an easy task though for the Colts in Blue in the semi-final against the young Proteas. After restricting the hosts to 244/7 following their decision to field first, India found themselves 32/4 following quick strikes from Kewana Maphaka and Trdistan Luus. However, an inspired 171-run stand between skipper Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas set the platform for India’s victory and would seal the chase with seven balls to spare.
India will face the winner of the ongoing semi-final between Australia and Pakistan in Sunday’s final in Benoni, so now it’s a good time to look at some top performers from India’s campaign so far:
Musheer Khan: Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan who has also played in the U19 World Cup previously, has been the find of the U19 World Cup Although he began the World Cup campaign with a disappointing knock of 3 against Bangladesh, Musheer bounced back against Ireland with a century, a knock of 118.