India defeat South Africa by two wickets to make U-19 World Cup final for ninth time
Benoni (South Africa), Feb 6: Five-time champions India overcame some jittery moments to defeat South Africa by two wickets to advance into the final of the Under-19 World Cup for the ninth time, here on Tuesday.
Skipper Uday Saharan led from the front with a calm and composed 81 (124 balls), while Sachin Dhas scored 96 to bail India out from being 32/4 in their tricky pursuit of 245.
The duo, who had put together a 200-plus stand against Nepal in the previous match, this time stitched a 171-run alliance that came off just 187 deliveries to seize control.
Needing 19 from 19 balls, India lost two wickets -- Aravelly Avanish (10) and Murugan Abhishek (0) in three balls -- but Saharan kept calm in the company of Raj Lambani (13) who sealed their fifth successive final with a boundary.
The pace duo of Kwena Maphaka (3/32) and Tristan Luus (3/37) were the pick of South Africa bowlers.
Earlier opting to bowl, the Saharan-led side restricted South Africa to 244/7.
Wicketkeeper-batter Lhuan-dre Pretorious (76, 102 balls) top-scored for South Africa opening the batting, while Richard Seletswane made 64 off 100 deliveries in a 72-run stand.
New-ball bowler Raj Limbani (3/60) was the pick of the Indian bowler, while Musheer Khan bagged 2/43. Naman Tiwari and Saumy Pandey took one wicket apiece.
Brief Scores:
South Africa 244/7 in 50 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorious 76, Richard Seletswane 64; Raj Limbani 3/60).
India 248 for 8 in in 48.5 overs (Sachin Dhas 96, Uday Saharan 81; Kwena Maphaka 3/32, Tristan Luus 3/37) by two wickets.
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Minimum age for class 1 admission relaxed for 2025-26, says Minister Madhu Bangarappa
Bengaluru, April 17: Karnataka's Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Wednesday announced that the state government has relaxed the minimum age requirement for admission to Class 1 for the academic year 2025-26, responding to repeated appeals from parents.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the minister stated that children who have completed 5 years and 5 months of age as of June 1, 2025, will be eligible for admission into Class 1 for this year. However, from the academic year 2026-27 onwards, the age criterion will return to the earlier requirement — that a child must have completed 6 years of age to enter Class 1.
Madhu Bangarappa clarified that despite the relaxation in age, children must have completed Upper Kindergarten (UKG) before being admitted to Class 1. “We are allowing this concession only for the current academic year, based on the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission and after considering the requests from parents,” he said.
The minister reiterated that the relaxation is temporary and aimed at ensuring a smooth transition without disrupting the academic plans of parents and schools. He added that the decision aligns with the recommendations of the State Education Policy Commission, which has studied the matter and supported a phased implementation of the revised age criteria.
Parents across the state had earlier expressed concerns over the sudden enforcement of the 6-year age requirement, which they said would affect thousands of children already enrolled in pre-primary levels.
