"Even before I was born, he had made up his mind"- India U19 player Sachin Dhas on why his father named him 'Sachin'
Sachin Dhas, the star of India's thrilling U19 World Cup semifinal win over South Africa, opened up on how his father came up with the name 'Sachin'. The youngster said that his father was a huge admirer of the great Sachin Tendulkar and decided that his son's name would also be Sachin.
Dhas walked out to bat in a precarious situation at 32-4, chasing 245, but scored a sensational 96 off 95 to ensure that his team reached their fifth straight U19 World Cup final. He told captain Uday Saharan after India's thrilling win (2:20):
"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 also had an important contribution in the win with a well-made 81 off 124. He said about batting alongside Dhas (0:50):
"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 added 171 runs, a record fifth-wicket partnership, in U19 World Cup history.
Uday Saharan hails Indian pacer Raj Limbani's first-ball six
Despite the record partnership between Saharan and Dhas, the game got a lot tight towards the end as India lost wickets in a cluster. They needed 17 off 14 with three wickets remaining.
However, pacer Raj Limbani walked out and smashed a first-ball six over mid-wicket, easing the nerves. Saharan said (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)."
Limbani's cameo of 13 off four was worth its weight in gold as India got home by two wickets despite the late collapse. They now await the winner of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Australia.