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Sooryavanshi’s historic 175 powers India to record sixth U-19 World Cup title

Tridib Baparnash

Team India reigns supreme at the ICC U-19 T20 World Cup 2026 in Harare with a record-extending sixth title sealed with pure dominance.


Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the greatest knocks in Under-19 World Cup history, smashing a breathtaking 175 off just 80 balls to power India to a record-extending sixth ICC U-19 World Cup title with a commanding 100-run win over England at the Harare Sports Club on Friday.

Sooryavanshi’s blistering innings propelled India to a mammoth 411 for 9, a total that proved far beyond England despite a spirited chase. The 15-year-old rewrote the record books with an exhibition of fearless power-hitting on the biggest stage.

 

Chasing the daunting target, England began positively with opener Ben Dawkins scoring a fluent fifty, while Thomas Rew and Ben Mayes chipped in with brisk cameos. However, sustained pressure triggered a middle-order collapse as England slipped from 174 for 3 to 177 for 7. Caleb Falconer fought valiantly with a rapid 115 off 67 balls, but the required rate proved insurmountable as England were eventually bowled out for 311.

 Earlier, Sooryavanshi brought up his century off just 55 balls — the second-fastest hundred in Under-19 World Cup history. He surpassed Pakistan’s Qasim Akram (63 balls vs Sri Lanka in 2022), with only Australia’s Will Malajczuk (51 balls vs Japan earlier in the tournament) ahead of him.

In the process, the Bihar-born prodigy became the fastest Indian to score a century in Under-19 World Cup history, eclipsing Raj Angad Bawa’s 69-ball effort against Uganda in 2022. He also became only the third Indian to score a century in an Under-19 World Cup final.

Displaying remarkable composure and aggression, Sooryavanshi raced to his half-century in just 32 balls and needed only 23 more deliveries to complete his next fifty. His innings, laced with 15 fours and 15 sixes, came at a staggering strike rate of 218.75.

The 175 is now the highest individual score in an Under-19 World Cup final, surpassing Unmukt Chand’s 111 not out against Australia in the 2012 final. It is also the highest score by an Indian in the tournament’s history, going past Raj Bawa’s 162 not out against Uganda in 2022. Overall, it stands as the ninth-highest individual score in Youth ODI history, with Ambati Rayudu’s 177 not out against England in 2002 the only higher score by an Indian.

Sooryavanshi also set new benchmarks in power-hitting, finishing with a record 15 sixes — the most ever in a Youth ODI and an Under-19 World Cup innings. He surpassed Dewald Brevis’ record for most sixes in a single Under-19 World Cup edition, ending the tournament with an astonishing 30 sixes.

He anchored India’s dominance through vital partnerships, adding 142 runs for the second wicket with captain Ayush Mhatre (53) and a further 89 with Vedant Trivedi (32). Sooryavanshi was eventually dismissed in the 26th over, having delivered a knock that will be etched in Under-19 World Cup folklore.

The final capped off a stellar campaign for Sooryavanshi, who finished as India’s leading run-scorer with 264 runs at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 147.49.

Among the other contributors were wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu (40), Kanishk Chouhan (37 not out) and Vihaan Malhotra (30).

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