Vaibhav Suryavanshi Shines On Global Stage As India Clinch World Record 6th U-19 World Cup After Dominating England

Cricket's latest wonderkid Vaibhav Suryavanshi played arguably the most breathtaking knock in the history of the U-19 World Cup, firing India to a record-extending sixth title with a 100-run drubbing of England in the summit clash in Harare on Friday. Suryavanshi's 80-ball 175, which comprised a record 15 sixes and as many fours, propelled India to an imposing 411 for 9 after England opted to bowl first. Bruised and battered following Suryavanshi's brutal onslaught, England's innings ended at 311 in 40.2 overs after being set an improbable target of 412 against a well-rounded Indian bowling attack.

Caleb Falconer top-scored for England with a scintillating 67-ball 115, leaving a lasting impression on the biggest stage while helping his side reduce the margin of defeat.

This was after the 14-year-old Suryavanshi produced a knock for the ages, racing to a three-figure mark in just 55 balls to become the second-fastest centurion in the competition's history. The triumph, which reinforced India's dominance in the age-group showpiece, could be attributed to a robust domestic structure, a vast talent pool, exposure to advanced coaching, high-quality preparation, and the sheer passion for the game among the country's youth.

Dominance With The Bat

India last won the tournament in 2022. Once India crossed 400 in the final, they became overwhelming favourites, and that is exactly how the script unfolded, with the bowlers performing as a collective unit.

To some extent, the achievement resembled the exploits of world-class Indian U-19 teams of the past featuring the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But this side, led by Ayush Mhatre, has carved a niche of its own-especially in terms of sheer ruthlessness-and no one embodies that better than the raging force that is Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Suryavanshi's knock is now the record for the highest individual score in a U-19 World Cup final, and it also helped India post the highest team total in the tournament's title clash.

Suryavanshi's World Record

The opener exploded when it mattered most, reaching his fifty in just 32 balls and continuing in the same vein to torment the English bowlers with his wide range of strokes. His second fifty came off just 23 balls.

A staggering 150 of his 175 runs came in boundaries, courtesy of 15 sixes and 15 fours, during a knock in which he toyed with the opposition attack and turned the Harare Sports Club into his playground.

He now holds the record for the most sixes in a Youth ODI innings, surpassing his own tally of 14 maximums against UAE at ICCA Dubai in December.

Suryavanshi also registered the fastest 150 (off 71 balls) in U-19 cricket, bettering the 98-ball effort by England's Ben Mayes against Scotland at the same venue earlier in the competition.

To put things in perspective, Vedant Trivedi saw Suryavanshi celebrate both his 100 and 150 while facing only four balls between the two milestones.

Suryavanshi's Onslaught

Such was Suryavanshi's brutal hitting that India's run rate hovered around 10 at the halfway mark, with the projected total touching 500 at one stage.

However, the boy from Samastipur in Bihar, after leaving the cricket world awestruck for nearly two hours, was dismissed in the 26th over while attempting to scoop Manny Lumsden. He got a glove, and wicketkeeper Thomas Rew completed the catch down the leg side off a short-of-a-length ball from around the wicket.

Relieved and in admiration, the England players rushed toward Suryavanshi to congratulate him for playing an innings rarely witnessed in a World Cup final.

Suryavanshi added 142 runs in just 19 overs with captain Ayush Mhatre, who departed for a 51-ball 53 immediately after bringing up his half-century.

By clearing the ropes repeatedly, Suryavanshi aggregated a staggering 22 sixes in this edition alone, surpassing South Africa's Dewald Brevis, whose record of 18 sixes had stood since 2022.

Young Gun

Suryavanshi also became the youngest centurion in the tournament's history. He was severe on all English bowlers, and among the biggest sufferers were left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert and off-spinner Farhad Ahmed, who were clobbered for 27 and 22 runs respectively.

Manny Lumsden leaked 81 runs in eight overs, while Sebastian Morgan conceded 74 in his nine.

After Suryavanshi's dismissal, Abhigyan Kundu (40 off 31), Vedant Trivedi (32 off 36), Vihaan Malhotra (30 off 36), and Kanishk Chouhan (37 off 20) chipped in with valuable contributions. And although England managed to pull things back slightly, they were never allowed to dictate terms.

Topics mentioned in this article

India U19 England U19 ICC U19 World Cup 2026 Vaibhav Suryavanshi Cricket