Following his side's record-extending sixth ICC U19 World Cup triumph, India skipper Ayush Mhatre said he just wanted to carry forward the legacy of Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur, who have led the country to global titles in the last couple of years.
Batting first, India U19 posted a gigantic 411/9 in 50 overs, thanks to 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's breathtaking 175 off 80 balls. England U19 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.
“I can't express my feeling, but it's a memorable moment for us in cricketing journey. The boys have played very well and what we have set the goals, they executed very well. And they played as a natural game. So, yeah, I'm really happy,” Mhatre said during the post-match presentation.
“We are happy that we just carry forward the legacy that Rohit Sharma also has won the World Cup, Harmanpreet also and now we. So we are happy to carry forward the legacy,” he added.
Commenting on Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind knock, Mhatre stated: “We have no words for him, what an innings he played. But yeah, we know he's a fabulous batsman. So he has showed in this match what he can do.”
The captain acknowledged the contributions of the Indian coaching staff as well. “No words for support staff because last eight, seven months, they are just hustling around us and the credit goes to them that they have worked on us,” he said.
Ayush Mhatre also had a message for the fans back home. “It feels really good, the support you guys gave from India sitting there, helped us a lot. Please continue to do that and we will keep winning it for you,” he remarked.
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 won the 'Player of the Tournament' accolade.
