Calcutta: Shubman Gill played a knock that went on to become a match-winning one in the ICC U-19 World Cup semi-final versus Pakistan on Tuesday.

Speaking after India's mammoth 203-run win in Christchurch which put them in the final of the U-19 World Cup for the sixth time, Shubman said: "This was a special innings in a big match against Pakistan with their bowlers bowling very well.

"I thought 250-260 would be a good-enough total for the pacers to defend. I'm now looking forward to playing Australia in the final. We are ready for Australia now."

For sure, he attributed his success to coach Rahul Dravid. "Dravid Sir only tells me one thing. He always tells me, 'Don't hit the ball in the air. Play along the ground. I always try to keep that in mind'," Shubman said.

His shot selection towards the end of India's innings indicated he was looking to clear the boundary despite the field being well spread, when he could have easily played it safe and brought up his hundred.

"It didn't really matter if I got out on 99. I was thinking I'll try for a four or a six," Shubman said. "The intent was good... Luckily, it turned out to be a no-ball."

When India were in a bit of trouble earlier, all Shubman did was nudge and run, focusing mainly on ones and twos. "There used to be three-four matches going on in the Chandigarh maidans and the leg side was cordoned off, so I had to focus on playing only on the off side. Because of that, I also learnt to play straight and nudge the ball for singles."

Asked about his emotions while on 99, Shubman smartly said: "I was just trying to run as fast as I could. That's all."

The colts were also praised by their seniors, with Rohit Sharma congratulating the Prithvi Shaw-led side for reaching the final. "We have been following their journey throughout the Test series (versus South Africa).

"They have played really good cricket and we always thought that this team had something special in them. With Rahul Dravid being the coach, we know these guys will do their best," Rohit said.

"Every game they have played, they have destroyed the opposition and that is always good to see. Their fast bowling has been really impressive and everybody's been talking about their bowling.

"I just hope that they do the same in the final as well. I know it's not going to be that easy. But we wish them success and the entire Indian team is watching them play from here (in South Africa). On behalf of the full squad here, we all wish and hope they can bring the Cup back to India," Rohit said.

On the other hand, Pakistan captain Hasan Khan rued his team's poor batting. "Even if we'd won the toss, not much would have changed," Hasan said.

"The pitch wasn't changing too much. It remained more or less the same during both innings. We played a few poor shots with the bat and if you compare our batting with theirs, we had a higher rate of poor shots. That was one of the reasons why we couldn't chase the target," he explained.

In what was a truly sporting gesture, Hasan was among the first to congratulate Shubman.