“It was good that we had a close match” - Uday Saharan on India being challenged by South Africa ahead of U-19 World Cup 2024 final

Indian captain Uday Saharan has asserted that the tight semi-final contest against South Africa will hold them in good stead when they face Australia in the U-19 World Cup 2024 final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday, February 11.

India registered a close two-wicket win over the Proteas in the first semi-final, while Australia got the better of Pakistan by one wicket in the second semi-final to register their place in the final.

Speaking to ICC, Saharan admitted that having a close game ahead of the final gave the middle and lower order a chance to perform under pressure.

“We were quite prepared for a close match. It was good that we had a close match. Now our middle and lower order have also faced the pressure of performing in tough situations. These are the lessons we’ll take forward,” the Indian captain said.

The 19-year-old added that playing the semi-final at the same venue as the final would also serve them well, although Australia also played their knockout match at the same ground in Benoni.

“We’ve seen the wickets. We’ve played there before, and we know quite a bit about it. We’re ready to face all the challenges,” Saharan stated.

“We are very excited for the finals. Everyone’s fit and well-prepared, and a good mindset,” the Indian captain added.

Saharan is the leading run-getter at the U-19 World Cup 2024. In six innings, he has scored 389 runs at an average of 64.83.

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“We are taking this as any other game” - Saharan on India meeting Australia in another ICC final

India and Australia will meet in a major ICC tournament final for the third time in less than a year. Australia beat India in senior men’s cricket in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023 as well as in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Saharan, however, isn’t focusing too much on those losses. Asked about the same, he said:

“No, we are taking this as any other game. It’s a final, if there was any other side in front of us, we would’ve played in the same fashion."

Meanwhile, the Indian team watched the pulsating Australia-Pakistan semi-final from the sidelines. The Men in Blue wanted to analyze the challenge they would be facing in the final.

“We were watching the game from the sidelines. We wanted to see how the game was panning out, and how competitive it was,” Saharan said.

“We wanted to gauge the kind of challenges that we’d come across. We watched the ending as well in the hotel, it was a nice game with a close finish. But we’ve our plans, and we’ll execute them [in the final],” the Indian captain concluded.

Team India are the defending champions of the U-19 World Cup and also the most successful team in the competition, having won the title five times.