Contrasting a whole lot by Sachin Dhas and skipper Uday Saharan had been the dual pillars on which India constructed their commanding 132-run win over Nepal of their ultimate Super Six Group 1 match, which additionally carried them to the semifinals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup semifinals in Bloemfontein, South Africa on Friday. Dhas (116, 101 balls) and Saharan (100, 107 balls), who added 215 off 202 balls, lifted India from a tough 62/three to a formidable 297/5 after they opted to bat first.
The match favourites, who now have eight factors, then restricted the Himalayan nation to 165 for 9 and within the semis, India are all set to face South Africa at Benoni on Tuesday.
However, Nepal made a fairly sturdy begin to their chase reaching 65 for 1 within the 14th over earlier than they fell headlong, shedding six wickets for a mere 12 runs to be positioned at 77 for 7 within the 28th over.
Left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey, who now has 16 wickets to be positioned on the second spot within the match’s highest wicket-taker record, sparked the collapse with figures of 10-1-29-4.
The solely silver lining for Nepal was the unbroken final wicket partnership of Aakash Chand (18 not out) and Durgesh Gupta (29 not out) who put collectively 45 runs to cowl the stipulated 50 overs.
Before Pandey entered the stage, new ball bowler Raj Limbani initiated the downfall by dismissing Deepak Bohara, who managed 22 runs off 42 balls.
Bohara tried an enormous shot however fell sufferer to the tempo, providing a easy return catch to the bowler.
Pandey quickly joined the occasion.
First, he eliminated Uttam Magar (8), who struggled to search out gaps and fell whereas making an attempt an aggressive shot, discovering the fielder at mid-on.
Pandey then delivered the ball of the match, clean-bowling Arjun Kumal (26). The supply that had some bounce straightened to hit the within of the off-stump.
The Nepalese batting order continued to crumble below relentless stress.
From being 77/7 in 27.5 overs, skipper Dev Khanal delayed the inevitable with a valiant 33 from 53 balls.
But India additionally struggled to wrap up the difficulty at this stage that would have given them a fourth successive 200+ margin victory on this occasion.
The Indians additionally had an damage scare as common wicketkeeper batter Aravalli Avanish needed to exit with a right-hand damage as Innesh Mahajan stored the wickets.
Earlier, India acquired off to a brisk begin with Adarsh Singh scoring 21 off 18 balls earlier than falling prey to Gulsan Jha’s brief ball tactic.
Singh edged one down the leg facet to be caught by wicketkeeper Magar, as Nepal made early inroads within the first powerplay.
The Indians had been rattled additional with the dismissals of Arshin Kulkarni (18) and Priyanshu Moliya (19) within the area of three balls.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically with a game-changing partnership between skipper Saharan and Dhas.
Saharan anchored the innings, taking part in second fiddle to the aggressive Dhas.
Promoted to No. 5 because of the lack of early wickets, Dhas bossed the day along with his managed but aggressive batting.
In earlier matches, Dhas batted decrease down the order, both at No 6 or 7, that restricted his alternatives to specific himself.
However, in the present day Dhas asserted himself from the beginning.
The Maharashtra lad confirmed a eager eye for choosing free deliveries to focus on particular bowlers and vacant areas on the sphere to attain his runs.
Playing positively, he took management of the state of affairs, scoring across the wicket and protecting the opposition bowlers at bay.
He paced his innings superbly, finishing his maiden fifty of the match in simply 50 balls.
Off-spinner Khanal tried to comprise Dhas by dragging his size again however the batter unleashed a robust pull shot over large long-on for a six, demonstrating his clear hitting abilities.
Dhas performed a pleasant inside-out shot in opposition to off-spinner Bhandari, and the boundary took him to 99.
In the very subsequent supply, he elegantly nudged the ball to long-on to achieve a well-deserved century, which got here off 93 balls.
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