India opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi capped off a dream U-19 World Cup campaign by earning a place in the team of the tournament after a sensational knock in the final against England. Vaibhav’s incredible 175 off just 80 balls in the summit clash guided India to their sixth U-19 World Cup title and was one of the defining performances of the tournament.
The selection committee, made up of conventioneer Ian Bishop along with Lydia Greenway, Andy Flower and Telford Vice, named three Indians in a combined XI. Apart from Vaibhav, spinner Kanishk Chouhan and fast bowler Henil Patel also made their mark.
Three players also represented the second England. Ben Mayes, the tournament’s top scorer, was named in the XI along with Thomas Rew and Manny Lumsden. Rew was also named captain of the team of the tournament.
ICC U19 World Cup squad in the tournament
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (India)
2. Viran Chamuditha (Sri Lanka)
3. Faisal Khan Shinwari (Afghanistan)
4. Thomas Rew (week, c) (England)
5. Oliver Peake (Australia)
6. Ben Mayes (England)
7. Kanishk Chouhan (India)
8. Nooristani Omarzai (Afghanistan)
9. Vitel Lawes (West Indies)
10. Ali Raza (Pakistan)
11. Manny Lumsden (England)
12. Henil Patel (India)
Vaibhav finished the tournament with 439 runs, though his journey was not entirely smooth. The left-hander endured a relatively quiet phase at first, often throwing away promising starts. He found his rhythm in the semi-final, where he laid the foundation for India’s record-breaking chase against Afghanistan, before producing an extraordinary performance in the final to dismantle England’s bowling attack.
India’s massive total proved to be well beyond England’s reach as wickets at regular intervals derailed their chase despite spirited batting.
The final further cemented the 14-year-old’s reputation as one of the brightest talents of his generation. Vaibhav first came into his own during the 2025 Indian Premier League, where he scored 252 runs in just seven matches, including a century. Since then, the young opener has only strengthened his status and is widely expected to become a major figure in Indian cricket in the coming years.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
February 8, 2026
