India clinch record-breaking sixth U19 World Cup, beat England by 100 runs in final

India were crowned world champions in men’s Under-19 cricket for a sixth time after turning the final into a spectacle of overwhelming authority, dismantling England by 100 runs at the Harare Sports Club on Friday, February 6. Powered by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 175, the Ayush Mhatre-led side first piled up a towering 411 for 9 before bowling England out for 311 to seal one of the most emphatic title triumphs in the tournament’s history.

At the heart of it was Sooryavanshi, whose record-shattering 175 was not merely an innings but a statement. Batting in a World Cup final with history on the line, the teenage left-hander delivered one of the most dominant knocks the tournament has seen.

Sooryavanshi raced to his century in just 55 balls, the second-fastest hundred in Under-19 World Cup history, having already surged to a 32-ball fifty. What followed was even more extraordinary. He tore through the England attack with escalating ferocity, bringing up his second fifty in only 23 deliveries as the field spread, the bowlers searched, and the scoreboard spiraled out of control.

By the time he was dismissed, Sooryavanshi had struck 30 boundaries, including 15 sixes, with 150 of his runs coming in fours and sixes alone. He became the youngest centurion in the tournament’s



history, set a new record for the highest individual score in a World Cup final, and powered India to the highest total ever recorded in a title clash.

The records continued to tumble. His tally of 22 sixes across the tournament surpassed South Africa’s Dewald Brevis, whose mark of 18 had stood since 2022, while his 150 came up in just 71 balls, the fastest in Under-19 cricket. The scale of his dominance was best illustrated by a remarkable stretch in which batting partner Vedant Trivedi faced only four deliveries between Sooryavanshi’s hundred and 150.

India’s run rate hovered close to ten an over by the halfway stage, with projections briefly nudging towards 500, before Sooryavanshi fell in the 26th over attempting a scoop that found wicketkeeper Thomas Rew down the leg side. Even then, England’s players gathered to applaud an innings that had rendered the final one-sided long before the halfway point.

A fluent 142-run stand in just 19 overs with captain Ayush Mhatre, who struck a composed 53 from 51 balls, ensured India’s platform was unshakeable. After Sooryavanshi’s departure, Abhigyan Kundu, Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra and Kanishk Chouhan sustained the momentum, carrying India beyond 400 despite a brief late rally from England’s bowlers.