Sachin Dhas, the standout performer in India’s dramatic U19 World Cup semifinal victory against South Africa, shared the story of his name. He revealed that his father, a fervent admirer of Sachin Tendulkar, decided to name his son Sachin in honor of the cricket legend.
Despite walking in to bat at 32-4 while chasing 245, Dhas played a remarkable innings, scoring 96 off 95 balls, securing India’s spot in their fifth consecutive U19 World Cup final. After the thrilling win, he conveyed to captain Uday Saharan:
“My father used to play cricket and is a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar. So even before I was born, he had made up his mind that he would name his son ‘Sachin’ (smiles).”
Captain Saharan played a crucial role in the victory, contributing a solid 81 off 124. When asked about batting alongside Dhas, he expressed:
“It feels really good playing alongside Sachin. He has a lot of positive intent, and it helps me a lot.”
“He always looks to keep finding boundaries alongside the rotation of strike. We just kept talking about taking the game deep and batting till the very end.”
Saharan and Dhas combined for an impressive fifth-wicket partnership of 171 runs, establishing a record in U19 World Cup history.
Uday Saharan praises the initial six by Indian pacer Raj Limbani
Despite the historic partnership between Saharan and Dhas, the match became tense towards the conclusion as India experienced a flurry of wickets.
With 17 runs required off 14 balls and three wickets in hand, pacer Raj Limbani came in and immediately relieved the tension by hitting a six over mid-wicket on the first ball. Saharan commented (1:27):
“Things had got a bit tensed in the middle as a bowler (Raj Limbani) had walked out to bat.”
“I thought I would have to score all the remaining runs. But when Raj hit that six, I was so relieved. I believed it had become so easy that Raj himself would score the remaining runs (laughs).”
The captain added:
“Uday I was really pumped up after the win. The way we ran on the field to celebrate, we don’t get that feeling every time. I am just hoping we can do the same one more time (referring to the final).”
Raj Limbani’s brief but impactful innings of 13 runs off four deliveries proved invaluable as India secured a two-wicket victory despite a late collapse. The team is now anticipating the outcome of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Australia.
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