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Right then, that is it from our coverage of the first Semi-Final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024 where India Under-19 emerged victorious after a very close match. However, the action is not done yet. Switch tabs and join our coverage of the SA20 qualifier 1 where Sunrishers Eastern Cape face off against Durban Super Giants at Cape Town. For the Under-19 World Cup, join us back on 8th February for the second semi-final between Pakistan Under-19 and Australia Under-19. The first ball will be bowled at 1.30 pm IST (8.00 am GMT) but our coverage will start much earlier. Until then, goodbye and Cheers!

Uday Saharan, the captain of India Under-19 says that he got a bit frustrated at one moment when the opposition was playing really well but then they made a comeback and had the game under control, so, was a bit distraught with the wickets that fell toward the end. Adds that whenever anyone came into bat, he just tried to make sure to tell them not to worry and let's just bat till the end and then applaud the coaching staff who keep the morale of the team high always. Mentions that the feeling of reaching the finals is good and getting a close game here is good practice and is ecstatic to be the captain of this team.

Duan James, the skipper of South Africa Under-19  says that the Indians tired them out in the middle overs and they dominated that phase. Adds that they didn't build good partnerships while batting. Mentions that they fought till the very end and he is proud of the group. Thanks the crowd for supporting the home side with all their heart.

Uday Saharan, the Indian skipper is the Player of the Match for his crucial anchoring knock. He says that he just trusted himself to play till the end and it was a matter of one good partnership and he only wanted to take the game deep. Adds that he has got the playing start from his dad who used to play slow and then go big towards the end. Mentions that when he arrived at the crease, there was some movement along with additional bounce but once the ball got old, it came onto the bat much well.

The Presentation ceremony…

Earlier in the game, India Under-19 won the toss and elected to bowl for the first time in the tournament and started off really as the frontline pacers got wickets. Raj Limbani bowled really well, picking up two wickets but after that South Africa Under-19 were able to rebuild. Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Richard Seletswane put on a decent stand before Musheer Khan broke it. The home side kept on losing wickets after small intervals as neither Pretorius nor Seletswane managed to convert the 50 into a big one. However, it was the skipper Juan James along with pacer Tristan Luus who got away a few boundaries and took them close to 250. As for the bowling side, Musheer got two wickets and Limbani ended up with three in total. Saumy Pandey also got one wicket but he was highly economical. Coming to the chase, it was topsy-turvy as the hosts dominated early on but let it slip and the Indians cashed in.

South Africa Under-19 were off to a dream start as their ace bowler, Kwena Maphaka struck on the very first ball of the innings. That created tension in the Indian dugout. Tristan Luus wasn’t one to be left behind either as he came in and sent back Musheer Khan, Arshin Kulkarni, and Priyanshu Moliya walking back to the pavilion with two good balls. The Indian top order succumbed to short balls by the young Proteas and that put them on the strong foot. However, after their spell, it was a dry spell of wickets until the 43rd over when Kwena Maphaka again came in and bid farewell to Sachin Dhas who was looking in good touch. He had done the damage and had brought his team back to a strong position along with his skipper. They bowled far too many extras in the second innings and that might have cost them heavily. Kwena Maphaka wasn’t done yet as he finished his spell by sending Aravelly Avanish back to the dugout and whispering some encouragement to his team. Dewan Marais aced a throw and sent back Murugan Abhishek who was running casually. Uday Saharan was also sent back through a run-out by Oliver Whitehead but by then, the game was almost sealed. In the end, they had to be on the losing side but it was a brilliant performance by the whole team throughout the tournament. Kwena Maphaka might end up being the highest wicket-taker at the end of the tournament and the senior team management staff has a few names they should keep and eye out for from this young South Africa Under-19 team.

India Under-19 faced trouble early on in the innings in the form of Kwena Maphaka and Tristan Luus as both of them combined forces and sent Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, and Priyanshu Moliya back to the dugout. They were left standing at 32 runs after losing 4 wickets. Everyone in the dugout was in a dull mood when two youngsters, their skipper, Uday Saharan and Sachin Dhas took things into their own hands. They played out the dangerous bowlers and made sure to keep rotating the strike, increasing pressure on the bowlers. Dhas was the aggressor in this partnership while Saharan was the anchor. The skipper didn’t take any risks and focused his attention on just knocking the ball around while keeping communication with his partner. They both brought India back into the game. Sachin Dhas fell prey to Kwena Maphaka just short of his century but he had done his job well. Aravelly Avanish too got out playing a rash shot off the bowling of Kwena Maphaka which further increased the pressure. Murugan Abhishek paid the price for lazy running and a direct hit sent him back to the pavilion. Uday Saharan unfortunately couldn't score the winning runs as he was run out just when the scores were level. However, he made sure that his team lives to see another day which will the be Finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup for a fifth successive time as well.

UDAY SAHARAN, THE MAN WHO MADE SURE THAT INDIA UNDER-19 ADVANCE TO THE FINALS! After a fighting effort, the boys in blue emerge victorious but all credit to the young Proteas who have been nothing but brilliant throughout the tournament. They were amazing with the ball but lost by a small margin today. It is heartbreak for the South Africa Under-19 team but they certainly carry the potential to shape South Africa cricket's future.

FOUR! That's it, INDIA UNDER-19 ARE IN THE FINAL! This is bowled full and outside off, Raj Limbani stands tall and just creams the drive between mid off and cover and finishes things off in style. The Indian contingent rushes out on the field in joy and India Under-19 win by 2 wickets.

Naman Tiwari is the new batter in.

OUT! RUN OUT! Oh, dear! The skipper is livid with himself and rightly so. Nqobani Mokoena bangs it in short and at the body, coming in at an awkward height as well. Uday Saharan miscues the pull shot just behind square leg and sets off for the single. Oliver Whitehead lobs the throw back to the bowler who does extremely well to collect it on the half-volley while falling behind and he takes off the bails. The replays show that Saharan is definitely short and what a poor end to a fantastic skipper's knock.

How close is that? Is Uday Saharan caught short of his crease? Yes, he is short and has a heartbreak to end his innings. He is furious with himself.

Scores are now level! Full and at the pads, Raj Limbani tucks it away to mid-wicket and picks up an easy single.

WIDE! Short and down the leg side, left alone for wide number 23!

Very full and on the stumps, jammed out wide of mid on for a single.

WIDE! Banged in well short and over the stumps, Uday Saharan ducks under the wide ball. 22nd wide of the innings, and that could be where the hosts have lost this game.

FOUR! Almost an unbelievable effort in the deep from Steve Stolk but it will be a boundary and India Under-19 are just one hit away from victory here. Overpitched and outside off, Uday Saharan gets on the front foot and creams it away in front of the man at sweepers. Stolk covers a lot of ground running across to his right and just flicks the ball back in but just after it had touched the ropes.