Dhas (116) and Uday Saharan (100) formed a 215-run combination for the fourth wicket as India defeated Nepal by 132 runs to go to the U-19 World Cup semifinals.
A couple of years back, when playing an invitational U-19 event in Pune, the organisers were astounded by Sachin Dhas’ six-hitting prowess and verified the bat’s size to ensure that he wasn’t cheating.
“He’s not a muscular person, and he wasn’t this tall either. So his massive sixes drew the attention of the organisers, who tested the width of his bat. “After a few minutes, they cleared him, but they were stunned,” Sachin Dhas’ coach Sheikh Azhar tells the news sources.
In the present, Dhas, who will be 19 on Saturday, hit a match-winning 116 as India defeated Nepal by 132 runs at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein to claim a semifinal spot in the U-19 World Cup.
Until Friday, Dhas had never played more than 20 balls in an inning in the competition. In his last four matches, he has scored 26 not out (20b), 21 not out (9b), 20 (16b), and 15 (11b). He was assigned the task of a finisher. India was in trouble after losing three quick wickets against Nepal, when Dhas joined forces with skipper Uday Saharan (110) to put on a match-winning 215-run stand for the fourth wicket, as India recorded 297 for 5.
Another clinical bowling performance by left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey (4/29) enabled India limit Nepal to 165 for 9.
