India reached the Under-19 World Cup 2024 semifinals with a massive 132-run win over Nepal in their final Super Six clash on February 2. Skipper Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas’ centuries were followed by yet another exceptional bowling display as Nepal posted 165/9 at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein. India reached the last four with five consecutive wins. India will face South Africa in the semifinal.
Earlier, Saharan won the toss and opted to bat first. Adarsh Singh got off to a good start hitting four boundaries but fell to Gulshan Jha in the fifth over. Priyanshu Moliya was promoted up the order. In the 14th over, India suffered a double blow. First, Moliya got run out trying to take a fourth run. He scored 19 runs from 36 balls. In the same over, Arshin Kulkarni edged one to the wicketkeeper and lost his wicket. He scored 18 runs from 30 balls.
After Aakash Chand's over, skipper Saharan and Sachin Dhas tried to steady the ship. Dhas was promoted up the order. He batted fearlessly and looked for boundaries in the middle overs. He reached his half-century with a boundary in the 29th over. Saharan batted patiently and reached his fifty from 61 balls. Dhas continued to hit boundaries. He survived a run-out scare in the 42nd over. In the 46th over, Dhas reached his century from 93 balls.
In the 48th over, he hit Jha for a six but could not finish with a flourish. He departed after scoring 116 runs from 101 deliveries featuring 11 fours and three sixes. Saharan and Dhas shared a 215-run partnership for the fourth wicket. It is the highest partnership for the fourth wicket. The previous best of 212 was between Cameron White and Dan Christian against Scotland in the 2002 edition. In the final over, Saharan reached his century from 106 balls. He lost his wicket to Jha as well. The skipper's 100 off 107 balls featured nine fours. In-form Musheer Khan remained unbeaten for nine runs as India posted 297/5.
In the run chase, Nepal openers Arjun Kumal and Deepak Bohara were cautious against the new ball. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Aravelly Avanish got injured and walked off the field. Kumal and Bohara hit a few boundaries but Raj Limbani broke the opening partnership in the 14th over. Bohara got caught and bowled after scoring 22 runs from 42 balls. In the 22nd over, left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey trapped Uttam Magar in front of the stumps. In Pandey's next over, Kumal got bowled for a 64-ball 26. On the last ball of the over, he dismissed Bishal Bikram as well. Kulkarni joined the party by dismissing Deepak Dumre for a four-ball duck. Nepal found themselves 74/5.
Kulkarni in his next over dismissed Jha. Murugan Abhishek was introduced in the 28th over. Dipesh Kandel got bowled for a six-ball duck. Skipper Dev Khanal and Subash Bhandari took Nepal past 100. In the 35th over, Aaradhya Shukla broke the partnership with the wicket of Bhandari. A few overs later, Khanal got bowled by Pandey. He scored 33 runs from 53 balls. Pandey finished with a four-wicket haul as Kulkarni dropped a catch at mid-on. Durgesh Gupta entertained the crowd with a four and a six off Musheer. Chand and Gupta prevented Nepal from getting bowled out. Chand scored 19 runs from 35 balls whereas Gupta's 43-ball 29 included two fours and a six. India won the match by 132 runs.
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