Under-19 World Cup: Sooryavanshi fires India to record-extending sixth title with a knock for the ages

Cricket's latest wunderkind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played arguably the most breathtaking knock in the history of U-19 World Cup to fire India to a record-extending sixth title with a 100-run drubbing of England in the summit clash in Harare on Friday.

Sooryavanshi'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 Sooryavanshi'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 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 Sooryavanshi produced a knock for the ages and raced to the three-figure mark in a mere 55 balls to become the second fastest centurion in this competition.

The triumph, which ensured India's continued dominance in the age-group showpiece, could be attributed to a robust domestic structure, vast talent pool, exposure to advanced coaching, high-quality preparation, and passion for the game among the country's youth. India last won the tournament in 2022.

Once India crossed 400 in the final, they were the overwhelming favourites to emerge victorious, and that is exactly how the script panned out, with the bowlers performing as a collective outfit.

To some extent, the achievement bore resemblance to the exploits of world-class Indian U-19 teams of the past that featured 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 exemplifies that better than that raging force called Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Sooryvanshi's knock is the record for the best individual score in a U-19 World Cup final and is also the highest team total in the summit showdown of the tournament.

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

As many as 150 off his 175 runs came off boundaries thanks to his 15 sixes and as many fours during a knock in which he literally toyed with the opposition attack and turned the Harare Sports Club into his playground.

He now holds the record for most sixes in a Youth ODI innings, surpassing his own 14 maximums against UAE at ICCA Dubai in December. Sooryavanshi now also has the fastest 150 (off 71 balls) in U-19 cricket, bettering the 98 balls taken by England's Ben Mayes against Scotland at the same venue earlier in the competition.

To put things into perspective, Vedant Trivedi saw Sooryavanshi celebrate both his 100 and 150 while facing only four balls between the two landmarks. Such was Sooryavanshi's onslaught that India's run rate was around 10 at the halfway mark and the projected total was 500 at that stage of the game.

However, the boy from Bihar's Samastipur, after leaving the cricket world awestruck in little less than two hours, got out in the 26th over while trying to scoop Manny Lumsden, only to get his glove for wicketkeeper Thomas Rew to complete a catch down the leg side off a short of a length ball from around the wicket.

Relieved, the England players ran towards Sooryvanshi to congratulate him for playing an innings that one doesn't get to see often in a World Cup final.

Sooryvanshi put on 142 runs in just 19 overs with his skipper Ayush Mhatre, who departed following a 51-ball 53 immediately after bringing up his half-century.

By clearing the ropes repeatedly, Sooryvanshi aggregated a staggering 22 sixes in this edition alone, leapfrogging South Africa's Dewald Brevis, whose record of 18 sixes had stood since 2022. Sooryvanshi has also become the youngest centurion in the history of the tournament.

He was severe on all the English bowlers, and among the worst 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 gave away 74 in his nine overs.

After Sooryvanshi's dismissal, Abhigyan Kundu (40 off 31 balls), Vedant Trivendi (32 off 36), Vihaan Malhotra (30 off 36) and Kanishk Chouhan (37 off 20) chipped in with useful contributions, and even though England did manage to pull things back a bit, they were not allowed to dictate.