Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: ICC) Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a knock for the ages, playing arguably the most stunning innings in U-19 World Cup history to lead India to a record-extending sixth title with an impressive 100-run victory over England in the final here on Friday.On the tournament’s biggest stage, the 14-year-old lit up the match with a stunning 80-ball 175, an innings that will be remembered as one of the best ever in age-group cricket. His knock, studded with a record 15 sixes and as many fours, chased India to a dismal 411 for 9 after England opted to bowl first. The onslaught left the English attack bruised and battered, with Sooryavanshi dissecting both pace and spin with remarkable ease and maturity beyond his years.
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Sooryavanshi’s innings also saw him rewrite the record books. He became the fastest player to score 150 in under-19 cricket, reaching the milestone in just 71 deliveries and recorded the highest individual score by any batsman in the finals of an ICC tournament. After bursting into the limelight during last year’s Indian Premier League, the prodigy showed why he is already being talked about as a generational talent.Set an improbable target of 412, England put up a brief resistance in the chase. They kept the required run rate within reach for much of the innings but lost wickets at regular intervals against India’s well-rounded bowling attack. Caleb Falconer waged a lone battle with a smooth 67-ball 115, but the task proved too steep. England were eventually bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs, sealing a comprehensive victory for India.After the triumph, a Rajasthan Royals user shared a touching moment on social media when he posted a photo of Sooryavanshi holding the trophy while on a video call saying, “Papa, pranaam”. Despite the historic success, the young star remained grounded.Sooryavanshi dedicated his Player of the Final award to the support team of the Indian team saying, “I can’t express how I feel, but the way we all worked hard for the last 7-8 months and our support staff who have been with us for a long time and always made sure we were okay, I would like to dedicate the award to them.” He added: “For the last eight to nine months, the support staff and the team have been working together. This preparation has played a huge part in getting us to where we are today.”Completing the dream tournament also made Sooryavanshi the first player in U19 World Cup history to win the Player of Final and Player of the Tournament awards, underscoring his extraordinary impact on India’s title campaign.
