Bloemfontein: India defeated Nepal by 132 runs to move into the semi-finals of the U-19 World Cup on Friday.

In reply to India’s 297/5, Nepal managed 165/9 in their 50 overs. Left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey was the pick of the bowlers with four for 29. Arshin Kulkarni claimed two wickets.

Nepal captain Dev Khanal was the top scorer for his team with 33 off 53 balls. They made a rather strong start to their chase reaching 65 for 1 in the 14th over before they fell apart, losing six wickets for a mere 12 runs to be placed at 77 for 7 in the 28th over.

India thus maintained their all-win record in the four Super Six Group 1 matches.

Earlier, Sachin Dhas and skipper Uday Saharan hit fluent centuries and lifted India from a tricky 62/3 to a formidable 297/5.

Dhas punished the Nepal bowling during his innings of 116 off 101 balls which included 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Saharan on the other hand played with utmost patience and made 100 off 107 balls (9x4) as the duo weathered the early storm with a record partnership of 215 which came off just 202 balls.

This was India’s highest partnership of the tournament.

Following hundreds by Dhas and Saharan, India now have five centuries in this year’s tournament.

Underlining their dominance with the bat, India have so far scored two 300-plus totals, while two others have been in excess of 290 from five matches of this showpiece event.

Opting to bat, India got off to a brisk start with Adarsh Singh scoring 21 off 18 balls before falling prey to Gulsan Jha’s short ball tactic.

Singh edged one down the leg side to be caught by wicketkeeper Uttam Magar, as Nepal made early inroads in the first Powerplay.

The Indians were rattled further with the dismissals of Arshin Kulkarni (18) and Priyanshu Moliya (19) in a space of three balls.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically with a game-changing partnership between skipper Saharan and Dhas.

Saharan anchored the innings, playing second fiddle to the aggressive Dhas.

Promoted to No. 5 due to the loss of early wickets, Dhas called the shots with his controlled yet aggressive batting.

In previous matches, Dhas batted lower down the order, either at No. 6 or 7, limiting his opportunities to express himself.

However, the day’s innings saw Dhas assert himself from the start.

Dhas showed a keen eye for picking loose deliveries and targetted specific bowlers and areas on the field to score his runs.

Playing positively, he took control of the situation, scoring all around the wicket and keeping the opposition bowlers at bay.

He paced his innings beautifully, completing his maiden fifty of the tournament in just 50 balls.

There was a moment when off-spinner Dev Khanal attempted to contain Dhas by dragging his length back. In response, Dhas unleashed a powerful pull shot over wide long-on for a six, demonstrating his clean hitting skills.

Dhas played a delightful inside-out shot against off-spinner Bhandari, the boundary taking him to 99.

In the very next delivery, he elegantly nudged the ball to long-on to reach a well-deserved century.

Brief scores: India 297/5 in 50 (Uday Saharan 100, Sachin Dhas 116). Nepal 165/9 in 50 (Saumy Pandey 4/29). India won by 132 runs.