India were crowned men’s under-19 cricket world champions for the sixth time after turning the final into a spectacle of crushing authority, dismantling England by 100 runs at the Harare Sports Club on Friday, February 6. Powered by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 175, Ayush first picked up 9 Mhatre and picked up bowling 11 for 311 to seal one of the most emphatic title triumphs in the history of the tournament.
VAIBHAV’S SIX FILLED 175
At the center of it was Sooryavanshi, whose record 175 was not just an innings but a statement. The teenage left-hander produced one of the most dominant knocks the tournament has seen in the World Cup final with history on the line.
Sooryavanshi raced to his century in just 55 balls, the second-fastest hundred in Under-19 World Cup history, having already reached his fifty off 32 balls. What followed was even more extraordinary. He tore through England’s attack with heightened ferocity, bringing up his second fifty in just 23 deliveries as the field widened, the bowlers searched and the scoreboard spiraled out of control.
By the time he was released, Sooryavanshi hit 30 boundariesincluding 15 sixes, with his 150 runs coming in just fours and sixes. He became the youngest centurion in the history of the tournament, set a new record for the highest individual score in a World Cup final and led India to the highest total recorded in a title match.
The records kept falling. His tally of 22 sixes in the entire tournament surpassed South Africa’s Dewald Brevis, whose mark of 18 stood from 2022, while his 150 came in just 71 balls, the fastest in under-19 cricket. The extent of his dominance was best illustrated by a remarkable stretch in which batting partner Vedant Trivedi faced just four deliveries between Sooryavanshi’s hundred and 150.
U19 World Cup Final: Live Results IND vs ENG
India’s run rate hovered close to ten-plus at the halfway stage, with projections briefly pushing towards 500 before Sooryavanshi fell in the 26th over to attempt a kick that found wicketkeeper Thomas Rew on the leg side. Even then, the England players gathered to applaud the innings that made the final one-sided long before half-time.
A smooth stand of 142 runs in just 19 overs with skipper Ayush Mhatra blasting a composed 53 off 51 balls ensured that India’s platform was unshakable. After Sooryavanshi’s departure, Abhigyan Kundu, Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra and Kanishk Chouhan kept the momentum going and took India past 400 despite a brief late surge from England’s bowlers.
SALCONER’S SEPARATE BATTLE IN FUTURE
Caleb Falconer kept hitting back and etched his name in the record books as the fastest England youth ODI centurion. However, his efforts proved insufficient as England fell well short of the mammoth target of 412 runs in the title race.
Chasing 412, England never found their footing. RS Ambrish and Henil Patel set the tone with probing maiden overs up front and immediately applied pressure. Joseph Moores tried to counter-attack and hit Henil for three boundaries but his resistance was short lived. He cut to Ambrish soon after to leave England at 19 for 1 and already behind the required odds.
Ben Dawkins and Ben Mayes offered brief resistance to guide England to 64 for 1 after ten overs, but the partnership failed to calm the nerves. Mayes fell trying to catch back Khilan Patel, Tom Rew departed soon after and from 142 for 3 the chase unraveled quickly.
Captain Mhatre removed the dangerous Dawkins, a costly mix-up resulted in a run-out and Deepesh Devendran struck twice in quick succession as England slumped to 177 for 7 after 22 overs. From there, the result was a formality, with India maintaining relentless pressure to seal a historic triumph.
Falconer provided England with a last glimmer of resistance, combining power with sound shot selection. He blasted two boundaries off Ayush Mhatre’s corkscrew, a driven four and a six straight down the ground before responding strongly to Devendran’s extraordinary pace by taking four boundaries from the over, three of them off consecutive deliveries. The counter-attack took him to a 26-ball half-century and helped create a 92-run stand with James Mint for the eighth wicket, briefly checking India’s momentum.
It proved to be the highest partnership of England’s innings, with Falconer doing most of the scoring as the required rate continued to rise. The stand ended when Ambrish Chouhan, leaping across the wicket, tripped the ball short and Minto, trying to bowl it over the line, raced hard to backward point where substitute fielder Mohammed Enaan completed a routine catch.
Any lingering hopes soon ended. Chouhan struck again with a full toss from outside off, Falconer backpedaled in search of elevation through the offside but failed to clear backward point where Khilan judged the catch to end the innings well.
Chasing 412 in a World Cup final was always going to be a daunting task and despite a spirited effort, England ultimately fell short as India sealed their third title in eight years.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 6, 2026
