Friday 06 / February / 2026
Harare : A scintillating 175 in 80 balls by Vaibhav Suryavanshi outclassed a valiant century from Caleb Falconer as Team India captured their sixth ICC Under-19 World Cup title, beating England by 100 runs, successfully defending 412 runs to extend the young English side's wait for their second trophy at Harare on Friday.
After India opted to bat first, a stunner, record-shattering Vaibhav Suryavanshi masterclass (175 in 80 balls, with 15 fours and 15 sixes), a half-century from skipper Ayush Mhatre (53 in 51 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and a knock from Abhigyan Kundu (40 in 31 balls, with six fours and a six) guided India to a massive 411/9. England lost an early wicket but went from 142/2 to 177/7 as they progressed. Falconer (115 in 67 balls, with nine fours and seven sixes) put on a spectacular show of power, but all in vain, as they are yet to win the title since the 1998 edition.
In the daunting run-chase of 412 runs, England lost Joseph Moores (17) early, with RS Ambrish cleaning up the furniture. England was 19/1 in 4.5 overs.
Ben Dawkins was joined by Ben Mayes, and the duo built a partnership. In Henil Patel's eighth over, Dawkins launched him for four boundaries in the over, releasing some pressure.
Mayes also collected some boundaries against Ambrish and Deepesh Devendran, as England reached the 50-run mark in 8.5 overs and ended the 10-over mark at 64/1. Spinner Khilan Patel also became a victim of this carnage, smashed for six and two fours by Mayes, who was looking imperious.
The 74-run stand ended with Khilan getting Mayes caught for 28-ball 45, with seven fours and two sixes, with Henil getting a catch coming from sweeper cover. England was 93/2 in 13 overs. Dawkins moved undeterred, hitting Deepesh for a trio of fours next over, bringing up the 100-run mark in 13.4 overs.
Just when Dawkins and skipper Thomas Rew were stitching a stand, Kanishk Chauhan got the scalp of Rew for an 18-ball 31, with four boundaries and a six. England were 142/3 in 18 overs.
Dawkins reached his fifty in 49 balls, with six fours and a six.
In the 21st over, skipper Mhatre's golden arm struck, removing Dawkins for a 56-ball 66, with seven fours and two sixes and Ralphie Albert was also run out in the same over. India continued to make merry, as Deepesh's 22nd over got wickets of Farhan Ahmed and Sebastian Morgan for single-digit scores, reducing England to 177/7 in 22 overs.
Caleb Falconer and James Minto took England to the 200-run mark in 25.1 overs, and the duo struck a partnership. Caleb hit Deepesh for four boundaries in the 26th over, signalling a counter-attack. The duo took England to the 250-run mark in 31.4 overs. Caleb hit a counter-attacking fifty in just 26 balls, with six fours and two sixes.
The 92-run stand ended with Ambrish removing Minto for a 41-ball 28, with a four to his name. England was 269/8 in 35.2 overs.
Manny Lumsden became the ninth victim, and Ambrish's third after being caught by Vedant Trivedi. England was 281/9 in 38 overs.
Ambrish, however, received a stunning counter-attack of three sixes from Caleb, who completed his century in just 63 balls, with eight fours and six sixes.
However, India wrapped the match, bundling out England for 311 runs in 40.2 overs, removing Caleb for a 66-ball 115, with nine fours and seven sixes.
Ambrish (3/56) was the top bowler, with Deepesh (2/64) and Kanishk (2/63) also getting wickets. It was Mhatre, who picked 1/31 in five overs, who changed the game in India's favour with a massive wicket of Ben Dawkins (66 in 56 balls, with seven fours and two sixes).
Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering knock of 175 runs off just 80 balls propelled India U19 to a massive total of 411/9, setting a daunting target of 412 for England U19 in the title clash.
Opting to bat first, India U19 opened with the in-form pair of Aaron George and Sooryavanshi. Centurion in the semi-final, George got off the mark with a boundary in the first over against Sebastian Morgan.
The 14-year-old Sooryavanshi targeted Alex Green in the next over and hit his first boundary. Green got the first breakthrough when he dismissed George for just nine runs in the fourth over of the innings. India was 20/1 in four overs.
Captain Ayush Mhatre joined Sooryavanshi and took his time to get off the mark with a boundary on his 11th delivery in the match. Mhatre targeted Manny Lumsden and hit him for two fours and a six in his first over.
Sooryavanshi, on the other hand, kept finding boundaries at regular intervals and kept the scoreboard moving. James Minto was introduced into the attack in the ninth over, and he extracted 18 runs, including three fours and a six.
Mhatre managed to get two more boundaries in the next over of Lumsden.
Farhan Ahmed was introduced in the next over, and Sooryavanshi hit him for a six and completed his fifty with a single in just 32 balls.
India U19 reached 100 runs in the 14th over, and the left-handed batter started the next over with two consecutive sixes off Ahmed. The duo also completed a 100-run stand for the second wicket in the same over.
Sooryavanshi targeted Ahmed again in the 17th over and hit him for three sixes and a four to collect 22 runs from the over.
Mhatre completed his half-century in the 19th over with a six off Green, but lost his wicket on the very next delivery. He made 53 off 51 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. Vedant Trivedi replaced him at the crease. India was 162/2 in 19 overs.
Sooryavanshi completed his century with a single in the 20th over. He reached the milestone in just 55 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes. This was the second-fastest ton by any batter after Will Malajczuk of Australia, who made a 51-ball ton against Japan earlier in this edition.
Sooryavanshi started going berserk after that and collected 27 runs in the next over of Ralphie Albert.
In the next over of Morgan, Sooryavanshi reached his 150 with a six. His 150 runs came in just 71 balls, which was the fastest 150 in the history of the tournament. He smashed two sixes and four in the next over of Morgan.
In the 26th over, Lumsden dismissed Sooryavanshi at the score of 175 runs. He hit 15 fours and as many sixes in his mammoth innings. Before this knock, Sooryavanshi had hit 15 sixes, and he finished with 30 sixes in the tournament, which is the highest in the tournament's history.
His 15 sixes in an innings were also the highest by any batter in a U19 World Cup innings.
Trivedi (32 off 36 balls with three fours) and Vihaan Malhotra (30 off 36 balls with two fours) also played well and kept the scorecard moving. Abhigyan Kundu's 40 off 31 balls (with six fours and a six) helped India not lose the momentum.
Kanishk Chouhan, 37 not out off 20 balls, with three fours and a six, helped India cross the 400-run mark. India finished with 411/9 after 50 overs.
On the bowling front, Minto (3/63) claimed three wickets, while Green (2/49) and Morgan (2/74) shared two wickets each.
Brief Scores: India: 411/9 (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 175, Ayush Mhatre 53, James Minto 3/63) beat England: 311 (Caleb Falconer 115, Ben Dawkins 66, RS Ambrish 3/56).
