ICC U-19 world cup: India enter semis with Nepal win

Bloemfontein, February 2

Contrasting hundreds by Sachin Dhas and skipper Uday Saharan were the twin pillars on which India built their commanding 132-run win over Nepal in their final Super Six Group 1 match, which also carried them to the semifinals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup here today.

Dhas (116, 101 balls) and Saharan (100, 107 balls), who added 215 off 202 balls, lifted India from a tricky 62/3 to a formidable 297/5 after they opted to bat first. The tournament favourites, who now have eight points, then limited the Himalayan nation to 165/9. In the semis, India are all set to face South Africa at Benoni on Tuesday.

Nepal made a rather strong start to their chase reaching 65/1 in the 14th over before they fell headlong, losing six wickets for a mere 12 runs to be placed at 77/7 in the 28th over. Left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey, who now has 16 wickets to be placed at the second spot in the tournament’s highest wicket-taker list, sparked the collapse with figures of 10-1-29-4.

Brief scores: India 297/5 (Dhas 116, Saharan 100; Jha 3/56); Nepal 165/9 (Pandey 4/29, Kulkarni 2/18).