Teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced arguably the most thrilling innings in the history of the U-19 World Cup with a 100-run victory over England in Friday’s final, leading India to a record sixth title.On the biggest stage of the tournament, the 14-year-old lit up the proceedings with a jaw-dropping 80-ball 175 in an innings that will be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of age-group cricket. His knock included a record 15 sixes and an equal number of fours as India posted a formidable 411 for 9 after England elected to bat first. The onslaught left England’s attack battered and bruised, with Suryavanshi dismantling pace and spin with remarkable ease and maturity beyond his years.
Soriyavanshi’s innings also allowed him to rewrite the record. He became the fastest player to score 150 runs in Under-19 cricket, reaching the milestone in just 71 deliveries, and recorded the highest individual score by a batsman in the ICC Championship final. The prodigy burst into the limelight during last year’s Indian Premier League and showed why he is already considered a generational talent.England set an unlikely target of 412 but saw brief resistance in the chase. They kept the required run rate within touching distance for most of the match but lost wickets at times against India’s all-out bowling attack. Caleb Falconer put up a lone battle, posting a fluent 67-ball 115, but the task proved too daunting. England were eventually bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs to hand India a comprehensive victory.After victory, rajasthan royals” Sharing a touching moment, the social media account posted a picture of Sooryavanshi holding the trophy while on a video call and saying, “Pranam, Dad.” Despite the historic achievement, the young star remained grounded.Dedicating the Man of the Match award to Team India’s support staff, Sooryavanshi said, “I can’t express my feelings but we have been working hard for the past 7-8 months and our support staff have been with us for a long time and always ensured that everything went well for us and I would like to dedicate this award to them.” He added: “The support staff and teams have been working together over the last eight to nine months. These preparations played a huge role in getting us to where we are today. “Suryavanshi, who capped off the Dream Tournament, also became the first player in the history of the U-19 World Cup to win both the Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament awards, underscoring his extraordinary impact on India’s path to the title.
