Ayush Mhatre hails Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s crucial 72 in India’s dominant Under-19 win

Ayush Mhatre praises Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Source: @SportsCulture24/x.com, @ImTanujSingh/x.com)

The cricket fans across the globe enjoyed a nail-biting thriller between India and Bangladesh on the big stage of the Under-19 World Cup. In the rain-affected game, the young Indian guns registered a dominating victory, keeping their unbeaten streak alive.

Among all the thrilling performances, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s crucial 72-run innings played a critical role in securing the victory. After the dominant win, skipper Ayush Mhatre couldn’t stop praising the knock that sealed India’s victory.

Mhatre applauds Suryavanshi’s ice-cold nerves under pressure

Gaining attention at a very early age, all eyes were on Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup, and he didn’t offend. In a rain-affected game against the Bangladesh Under-19 side, the youngster showcased brilliance and delivered a match-winning knock. Batting first, India lost some quick wickets, and Suryavanshi tightened his grip.

Guiding the side towards a good total, he scored a 30-ball fifty and played a crucial knock of 72 runs in 67 deliveries. Standing in a pressured situation, his knock helped India to put on a 238-run total on the board. Speaking to ICC, after sealing the victory, the Indian captain Ayush Mhatre hailed the young Indian opener.

“(Sooryavanshi) showed the maturity that he's got and just batted really brilliant. He showed patience also; the team needed him to stay there, so he stayed in. It was initially tough conditions because there was some stickiness in the wicket and the ball was coming a little bit (on the) slower side, back of the length, so there was some difficulty. But the way that (Abhigyan Kundu and Sooryavanshi) batted, and (later in) the innings, (Kanishk Chouhan) batted well,” he said.

Abhigyan Kundu earns special praise from the captain

The world remained in awe of Suryavanshi’s fireworks, but Abhigyan Kundu’s masterful 80-run knock steadied India’s ship. Playing the perfect anchor, he absorbed the pressure with a gritty half-century off 82 balls and carried on to score a vital 80 from 112 deliveries. After the match, Mhatre hailed Kundu’s brilliance.

“(Kundu) is batting really well in this tournament, and is in form also, so it’s really nice for us that he’s batting really brilliantly and scoring some runs for our team,” he said.

Mhatre opens up on the victory over Bangladesh U-19

It's not just Suryavanshi’s temperament or Kudu’s composed innings; the other Indian players also showcased their excellence. While defending the total, Vihaan Malhotra secured an unbelievable 4-wicket haul that shattered Bangladesh’s batting lineup. Capping off the emphatic win, skipper Ayush Mhatre reflected on the victory and revealed the team’s fearless mindset in the tournament.

“It really was a terrific victory from our boys; it was really big. We just play our game, we’re not thinking much (about that game yet), just (about) playing our cricket,” he added.

India’s U-19 team is on fire in the ongoing tournament, claiming consecutive wins to sit comfortably at the top of the points table. On January 24, they will face the New Zealand Under-19 side in their last group stage clash.