India captain Uday Saharan said winning a close match against South Africa in the semi-finals will benefit his team to a good extent in the ICC Under-19 World Cup title clash on Sunday.
India, who had a smooth sailing in the tournament until now, had to battle till the end to edge South Africa by two wickets with seven balls to spare.
They will take on the winner of Thursday's second semi-final match between Australia and Pakistan inn the final on Sunday.
"It is a great feeling to reach the final. We got a taste of close games, and that will be good in the final. We don't let the morale get low in the dressing room at all -- our environment and coaches are superb," Saharan, who was later adjudged man of the match, said after the match.
Saharan (81) and Sachin Dhas (96) shared a brilliant 171-run partnership for the fifth wicket to rescue India from a precarious 32/4 while chasing 245.
The elegant right-hander said they were not under pressure at any point.
"Yes, we were well behind at one point. But we kept saying that we have to bat till the end. It was a matter of one partnership," he added.
Saharan said the pitch became easier to bat during India's innings.
"When I walked in to bat, the ball was nipping a bit, and there was a good bounce. But later it (ball) started coming onto the bat better," he noted.
South African captain Juan James admitted that they struggled to break the partnership between Dhas and Saharan.
"When they were batting, when we had them four down, Uday and Sachin batted really well. That's something we've struggled with the whole tournament (breaking partnerships). But we never gave up," said James.
