The U-19 Indian Men’s cricket team created history yesterday as they entered the finals of the Under-19 World Cup for the record 5th time defeating the Proteas in the semi-final held at the Sahara Park Willowmoore Cricket Stadium.

India’s young star Sachin Dhas spearheaded Team India’s recovery with a stellar innings of 96 runs, leading them to victory chasing a modest target of 245 runs in the first semi-final of the World Cup. Team India started on a shaky note but a record-breaking partnership of 171 runs in 187 balls for the fifth wicket between Sachin Dhas (96) and skipper Uday Saharan (81), rescued India following a collapse in the top order.

Earlier, South African opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius provided his team with a good start and everything was going great for the hosts before Indian spinners Musheer Khan, Murugan Abhishek and Priyanshu Moliya applied their magic in the game and South African batters started collapsing like pack of cards.

India maintained relentless pressure on the hosts, never easing off the accelerator throughout the innings. Despite their efforts, South Africa became the first team in the tournament to surpass the 170-run mark against India, ultimately posting a total of 244/7 in their 50 overs.

Team India has dominated the U-19 World Cup so far, emerging victorious in three of their games by margins exceeding 200 runs.

India will face the winners of the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan in the finals of the U-19 World Cup to be held the Willowmoore Park on Feb. 11. Live telecast will be available on Star Sports and Disney + Hotstar Network from 1.30 pm (IST).