Sooryavanshi slammed 175 off 80 balls in the U19 World Cup final against England.
India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the cricketing world by storm as he smashed a blistering 175 off 80 balls in the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 final in Harare on Friday (February 6).
Sooryavanshi’s knock, studded with 15 fours and 15 sixes, propelled India to a gigantic total of 411/9. England fell 100 runs short in the chase, courtesy a collapse from 142/2 to 177/7, with RS Ambrish claiming three wickets and Kanishk Chauhan returning with two scalps as well.
After scripting India’s record-extending sixth U19 World Cup triumph, Sooryavanshi opened up on a conversation with his father.
“I spoke to my dad and told him that half the dream is done. But the other half, playing the World Cup for the senior India team, is still left,” Vaibhav said in an interview with Ray Sportz Cricket. “Every player dreams of playing for the senior team and winning. That is my focus from here.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned the 'Player-of-the-Match' award in the final. The southpaw finished the tournament as the second-highest run-getter with 439 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, including a century and three fifties. As a result, he also bagged the 'Player of the Tournament' accolade.
The 14-year-old revealed that he was unable to sleep on the eve of the final. “I did not sleep the whole night and just got an hour or two of sleep. It was a very big game. We can say that we will play it as a normal game but there was pressure on us. There was pressure of the final and in every country, you can play the U19 World Cup again, but in India, you cannot, so it is a memorable moment to play and win the final. There are very few chances. We had that chance,” he said.
India U19 skipper Ayush Mhatre also slammed 53 off 51 balls in the title clash. Sooryavanshi explained how the captain kept him grounded even as he was clearing the boundary at will.
“Ayush was telling me to take singles and play sensibly when I was close to my hundred. But I knew that as long as I was at the crease, if I dominated, we could bat England out of the game. We put the match in our favour in the first innings itself. It wasn’t just my performance, everyone contributed, and that’s why we scored 411,” Sooryavanshi remarked.