India have secured their fifth consecutive U19 World Cup final berth after beating home team South Africa by two wickets in the first semi-final at Benoni.
The defending champions will either face Pakistan or Australia now in the final of the tournament scheduled on Sunday, February 11.
Earlier, Indian captain Uday Saharan won the toss and chose to chase. This marked the initial occasion in the tournament when India opted to bowl first, having batted first in all five previous games.
Despite a significant slowdown in the middle overs, South Africa managed to reach a respectable total through aggressive cricket in the initial and late stages of their innings. Despite losing four wickets for 32 runs, India successfully pursued the target, thanks to a brilliant partnership between Saharan (81) and Sachin Dhas (96).
The Young Proteas were on target from the beginning. Kwena Maphaka initiated the innings with a fierce bouncer, which took the edge of Adarsh Singh's bat and flew to the keeper. In the fourth over, Tristan Luus dismissed Musheer Khan, India's star batter in the tournament, caught at the second slip for just four runs.
Luus led the African side by taking two more wickets in his opening spell, leaving India struggling at 32/4 by the 12th over. After a cautious start, the partnership between Saharan and Sachin Dhas gained momentum. Dhas took the lead in run-scoring, hitting three fours in the 19th over. India reached the 100-run mark in the 25th over, with Dhas completing his half-century during their partnership.
As India gained momentum, Juan James turned to his strike bowlers Luus and Maphaka. However, India's fifth-wicket pair remained composed. Through a combination of smart running and aggressive strokes, they closed in on the target.
Maphaka claimed South Africa's fifth wicket by getting Dhas to chip one towards covers in the 43rd over. The left-arm pacer continued his excellent performance, dismissing Avanish Aravelly off the last ball of his spell, leaving India with 19 runs required off 18 balls.
Saharan maintained his composure, and with steady support from Raj Limbani, brought the side within one run of the target. Limbani hit the winning runs off the second last ball of the 49th over.
South Africa's innings unfolded with Raj Limbani striking early, accounting for the dangerous Steve Stolk. Despite losing David Teeger (0) to a brilliant inswinger from Limbani, South Africa was in a healthy position at 55/2 at the end of the first Powerplay.
India's spinners managed to reduce the scoring rate between overs 11-30, putting pressure on Lhuan-dre Pretorius (76), who fell attempting a big shot.
The Proteas reached 200 due to a partnership between Richard Seletswane and skipper Juan James. Tristan Luus's (23*) late aggressive contributions helped South Africa reach 244/7.
The semi-final between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled for February 8.
