Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s record 175 takes India to historic 6th ICC U19 World Cup title

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Feb 7, 2026: Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a historic performance with the bat to play a starring role in India’s record-extending title triumph as they thrashed England by 100 runs in the final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 on Friday to win a record-extending 6th title.

After captain Ayush Mhatre opted to bat first at the Harare Sports Club, Sooryavanshi rewrote history by blasting the fastest century in an U19 World Cup final – the second fastest in the competition’s history – to propel India U19 to a mammoth 411/9 in 50 overs.

In reply, England managed to match India’s tempo for a while but were undone by regular fall of wickets as Indian bowlers managed to break growing partnerships. Caleb Falconer kept England’s faint hopes alive and struck a blistering 67-ball 115, but England ran out of batters to be bowled out for 311.

This was after the 14-year-old Sooryavanshi produced an innings for the ages and raced to the three-figure mark in a mere 55 deliveries to become the second fastest centurion in this competition.

Sooryavanshi smashed a record 80-ball 175, an innings comprising an astonishing 15 fours and 15 sixes as India also broke the record for the highest total ever in a U19 World Cup final. His innings is also the highest individual score in a summit clash of the tournament.

Sooryavanshi reached his century in just 55 balls, becoming the second-fastest centurion in U19 World Cup history. He had earlier brought up his half-century in 32 balls and maintained the tempo throughout, adding his second fifty in only 23 deliveries as England’s bowlers struggled to contain his wide array of strokes.

Boundaries accounted for 150 of his 175 runs, with 15 sixes and an equal number of fours, as he dominated the attack and turned the Harare Sports Club into a stage for an extraordinary display of power hitting.

In the process, Sooryavanshi set several records. He now holds the mark for the most sixes in a Youth ODI innings, surpassing his own tally of 14 against the UAE in Dubai in December. He also registered the fastest 150 in U19 cricket, reaching the milestone in 71 balls, improving on the previous record of 98 balls set by England’s Ben Mayes against Scotland earlier in the competition at the same venue.

The scale of his dominance was underlined by the fact that teammate Vedant Trivedi faced only four balls between Sooryavanshi’s 100 and 150. At the halfway stage of India’s innings, the run rate was close to 10 an over, with projections briefly touching 500.

Sooryavanshi’s innings ended in the 26th over when he attempted a scoop off Manny Lumsden, only to glove the ball to wicketkeeper Thomas Rew down the leg side. After his dismissal, England’s players gathered around to congratulate him, acknowledging the rarity of such an innings in a World Cup final.

Earlier, he had shared a 142-run stand in just 19 overs with captain Ayush Mhatre, who made 53 from 51 balls before being dismissed soon after reaching his half-century. Across the tournament, Sooryavanshi struck a total of 22 sixes, surpassing the previous record of 18 set by South Africa’s Dewald Brevis in 2022. He also became the youngest centurion in the history of the U19 World Cup.

All England’s bowlers came under pressure, but left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert and off-spinner Farhad Ahmed endured particularly difficult spells, conceding 27 and 22 runs respectively to the opener. After Sooryavanshi’s departure, Abhigyan Kundu (40 off 31 balls), Vedant Trivedi (32 off 36), Vihaan Malhotra (30 off 36) and Kanishk Chouhan (37 off 20) provided valuable contributions. England managed to stem the flow briefly, but India retained control through to the end of the innings.