India clinch sixth Under-19 World Cup; Suryavanshi named Player of the Final

HARARE: Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed a stunning 175 runs off just 80 balls, hitting 15 sixes and 15 fours, as India clinched the Under-19 World Cup title for the sixth time.

As the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is set to begin today in India and Sri Lanka, the victory has brought great excitement to millions of Indian fans. India are the defending champions in T20I cricket, and Suryavanshi’s brilliant performance has given fresh inspiration to the senior team led by Suryakumar Yadav.

In the Under-19 World Cup final, India defeated England by 100 runs to lift their sixth title.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, India posted a record total of 411/9 in 50 overs. Suryavanshi’s explosive century was the highlight of the innings. Captain Ayush Mhatre scored 53 runs. Abhigyan Kundu (40), Kanishk Chouhan (37), Vedant Trivedi (32) and Vihaan Malhotra (30) also made valuable contributions.

Chasing the huge target, England were 142/2 at one stage. However, they lost wickets quickly in the middle overs and were bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs.

Ambrish took three wickets, while Deepesh Devendra and Kanishk Chouhan picked up two wickets each to seal the victory for India.

Suryavanshi was named Player of the Final. His 175 is the highest individual score in the history of ICC tournament finals. He scored a total of 439 runs in the tournament.

This is India’s sixth Under-19 Men’s World Cup title. They had previously won the tournament in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022. India are the most successful team in the history of the Under-19 World Cup.