Vaibhav Suryavanshi Virat Kohli. Image Credits: X
Vaibhav Suryavanshi reserved his absolute best this ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 for the day of the final. The blistering left-handed opener went berserk from the outset, clattering 175 runs in all from just 80 deliveries against England U19 at the Harare Sports Club.
The Rajasthan Royals star opener launched 15 fours and 15 huge sixes to compound 150 runs off boundaries alone. Through the course of Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s batting juggernaut, the broadcasters of the tournament seemingly suffered a major meltdown, especially while displaying projected scores.
Shortly after Suryavanshi bludgeoned England’s Ralphie Albert for a 27-run over to race India to 213-2 in 22 overs, a certain projected score indicated that the ‘Boys in Blue’ can even mount 633 by the completion of their innings.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi defies logic, and projected scores…
Vaibhav Suryavanshi tore Ralphie Albert apart with three fours and two huge sixes in the 22nd over of the innings as India soared past the 200-run mark. With India reaching 213-2 in 22 overs, the Rajasthan Royals opener himself raced to 145* off 67 balls as his partnership with Vedant Trivedi grew to 51* runs at the time.
India’s projected score at the end of Albert’s pounding made for some staggering numbers, as devised by the official broadcasters of the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup. As per the forecast, India U19 would reach 484 at the then-current rate of 9.68 in 50 overs.
Moreover, India’s projected scores further read: 521 at 11-an-over from here on, 577 at 13, and 633 at 15.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi fires India to a record total
India captain Ayush Mhatre won the toss and opted to bat first. After losing Aaron George to Alex Green early in the game, Suryavanshi blazed India past the 150-run mark by sharing a 142-run partnership with the skipper.
Captain Mhatre himself compiled 53 runs off 51 balls with seven boundaries and two sixes. Suryavanshi went on to tonk 175 off 80 deliveries before nicking one towards England wicketkeeper Thomas Rew off Manny Lumsden.
At 251-3 around the halfway mark of the innings, middle-order batters like Vedant Trivedi (32 off 36), Vihaan Malhotra (30 off 36) and Abhigyan Kundu (40 off 31) chipped in with valuable contributions to prevent England’s late comeback.
RS Ambrish and Kanishk Chouhan also scored vital runs in the slog overs as Team India finished its innings around the 400-run mark, well below the projection meltdown.
India chases sixth U19 World Cup
Led by Ayush Mhatre and bolstered by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the India U19 team is chasing its sixth U19 World Cup title in the ongoing 2026 edition of the competition.
The India team last conquered the world title back in 2022, also by defeating England albeit in a low-scoring final.
In the 2024 edition a couple of years ago, the India U19 team suffered a shock defeat at the hands of a rampant Australian unit at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni.
