India survived a late scare to beat New Zealand by three wickets to book a berth for the title clash of the under-19 cricket World Cup here on Wednesday.

In a thrilling rain-curtailed semifinal, Kiwis scored a modest 205 for eight in 50 overs after electing to bat. However, the target become slightly stiffer for the Indians after it was reset at 180 in 43 overs due to rain interruption.

Opener Sreevats Goswami (51 off 76 balls) and captain Virat Kohli (43 off 53 balls), who was later adjudged player of the final,  played sensible knocks to lay the foundation for India’s win, which was achieved in 41.3 overs at the expense of seven wickets. Even though India’s firebrand pacer Pradeep Sangwan could not taste success on Wednesday, other bowlers stuck to their task to check the New Zealanders from scoring freely and took wickets at regular intervals. Indians were cruising to victory with 11 required off 21 balls with five wickets in hand. Suddenly, the Kiwis piled pressure and were able to notch up two quick wickets to provide a few jittery moments for their rivals. But India were not to be denied.