New Delhi: Soon after compiling one of the most dominant performances in U-19 World Cup history, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi summed up the sheer joy of India’s victory not in the words of cricket analysis but in infectious celebrations. India beat England by 100 runs on Friday to win a record sixth U-19 World Cup, and a video of the teenage star dancing wildly with his teammates soon went viral.In the video shared on social media, a visibly elated Sooryavanshi can be heard laughing and saying: “Punjabi gana nahi samajh mein aa rha hai. Bhojpuri lagega.”
What followed was a carefree celebration as the young Indian team danced their hearts out to Bhojpuri songs, soaking up the moment after weeks of relentless hard work. These scenes perfectly capture the spirit of a team that plays cricket fearlessly and celebrates with equal freedom.There were wild celebrations after a truly historic final. Sooryavanshi had one of the best innings for years, knocking 175 off just 80 balls with 15 sixes and as many boundaries as India posted a mammoth score of 411 for 9 after being asked to bat. England were battered by the onslaught and were bowled out for 311, with Caleb Falconer’s 67-ball 115 only narrowing the defeat.Reflecting on his performance in the final, the 14-year-old said he trusted his instincts. “I was confident in my skills and believed I could contribute in big matches and that happened today,” Suryavanshi said in his post-match speech. He added, “We’re not under a lot of pressure. We just think we play well in the game and we follow our process and play our natural game.”Suryavanshi, who was named Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament, also emphasized the long-term accumulation of wins. “Not only during the Asia Cup (India lost to Pakistan in Dubai last year) but also in the last 8-9 months, our preparations have been very good. Only the players know how hard we worked during that period.”Captain Ayush Mhatre said the team hopes to build on India’s recent success in the World Cup. “Rohit Sharma has won the World Cup, Harmanpreet (Kaur) has won the World Cup and now we have won the title. Nothing can be said for the support staff, they have been working hard over the last few months… keep supporting us like this and we will keep winning trophies for you guys.”As the music blared and youngsters danced carefree, Sooryavanshi’s words and deeds reflected the fearless, joyful attitude that characterized India’s run to yet another U-19 World Cup title.
