U19 World Cup Final: India's captain Uday Saharan's first single-digit score of tournament comes at wrong time
India captain Uday Saharan’s dream run in the ongoing ICC Men’s U19 World Cup came to a bitter end as he was dismissed for a single-digit score for the very 1st time in the tournament. The cheap dismissal came during the final match against Australia on February 11, Sunday in Benoni.
Uday Saharan led the defending champions from the front throughout the World Cup with his stellar performances with the bat. However, the captain was dismissed after scoring mere 8 runs in the summit clash of the marquee tournament. The Indian captain’s catch was claimed by the Australian captain, Hugh Weibgen, off Mahli Beardman’s delivery. It was a sharp catch by the fielder at point as the captain had to return to the pavilion in the 17th over itself. It was a double strike for the Australian bowler, who had dismissed another talented batter, Musheer Khan, in the 13th over.
Saharan emerged as India’s saviour during the semi-final clash against South Africa with his 81-run knock. He took the game deep and stayed till the end to help the team qualify for the final for the 5th consecutive time. However, this time the captain had to leave after facing just 18 deliveries. India slumped to 55 for 3 and after 2 overs, another hero of the semi-final clash, Sachin Dhas, was dismissed at 9 runs.
Saharan emerged as India’s breakout star with his consistent performances. He is the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 397 runs to his name in 7 matches. The 19-year-old’s run tally is the 3rd highest for an Indian batter in the tournament after Shikhar Dhawan and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Saharan’s consistency with the bat helped India to remain unbeaten in the tournament so far with 6 wins in 6 matches.
Saharan slammed 64 runs in the opener match against Bangladesh. He followed it up with 75 runs against Ireland, and scored 35 and 34 against the USA and New Zealand respectively. Saharan notched up a century in the World Cup against Nepal after a historic 215-run stand with Dhas. He was named as the ‘player of the match’ after scoring a match-winning 81 runs against South Africa. However, while chasing 254 runs in the final, the captain along with the players succumbed to the pressure.
