New Delhi: Records tumbled thick and fast Friday as India’s teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed an explosive 175 runs off 80 balls in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 final against England in Harare.
India then went on win their sixth Under-19 World Cup as England’s innings ended at 311 runs, falling way short of the target of 412 runs. For his batting exploits, Sooryavanshi was adjudged the player of the match in the final as well as the player of the tournament.
Sooryavanshi, who last year made headlines for becoming the youngest ever player to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), brought up his century in just 55 balls. He became the second fastest centurion in U19 World Cup history, after Australia’s Will Malajczuk who achieved the milestone in 51 balls against Japan.
His knock included six fours and as many sixes, making it the fastest century by an Indian in U19 World Cup history. The 14-year-old opener broke the previous record held by Raj Angad Bawa, who had reached the feat in 69 balls against Uganda in 2022. Sooryavanshi is the first India batter ever to score a century under 60 balls in an U19 World Cup match.
Praises poured in from all corners on social media. Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan lauded the young batter in a post on X. “What an innings from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. A dominant knock of 175 off 80 in a World Cup final is truly extraordinary with pure intent, power and timing all day,” he wrote.
Known for its cheeky comments, Iceland Cricket’s official X handle called for Sooryavanshi’s arrest: “Someone arrest Vaibhav Sooryavanshi right now. This violence on the field against the English bowlers is X-rated!”
“England bowlers tried everything. But you can’t stop the SUN. The Sun has risen on Bhartiya cricket! Just a sign of the future,” Virender Sehwag, an explosive opener himself in his playing days, posted on X.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was effusive in his praise of the teenager. “Vaibhav has owned the big stage like he’s born for it. A prodigy with serious big match temperament,” he posted on X. “This kid is knocking on the doors of international cricket hard & fast. Post the T20 World Cup, don’t be surprised if that door opens.”
With his knock of 175 runs that included 15 fours and 15 sixes, Sooryavanshi became the first cricketer in the world to score 150 runs in an U19 World Cup final match. Notably, his innings is also the second-highest individual score by an Indian in a youth ODI. Ambati Rayudu’s unbeaten 177 against England in 2002 remains the highest.
Apart from surpassing Bawa’s record, Sooryavanshi also overtook South Africa’s Dewald Brevis for the most sixes hit in a single U19 World Cup edition. The southpaw smashed 30 sixes in this tournament, eclipsing Brevis’ tally of 18 in the 2022 edition.
The 14-year-old ended as the highest run-scorer with 439 runs from seven innings. He surpassed Afghanistan’s Faisal Shinozada, who had 435 runs under his belt.
India captain Ayush Mhatre had won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the U19 World Cup 2026 final at the Harare Sports Club. Batting first, India set a mammoth total of 411 runs courtesy Sooryavanshi’s knock. The England batsmen ended with 311 runs, bringing cheers to the Indian camp.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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