In the final, India’s youngsters defeated England by 100 runs to clinch the Under-19 World Cup for a record sixth time. The hero of India’s title triumph was explosive batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. With this victory, India became the first team to win the Under-19 World Cup six times, while Australia remain second with four titles.
Vaibhav’s breath-taking batting made the final a completely one-sided affair. The 14-year-old smashed a sensational 175 runs off just 80 balls, hitting 15 fours and 15 sixes while playing for the Under-19 team. This was the fastest 150-plus score in youth cricket history.
He broke West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran’s record of 143 runs for the highest individual score in a playoff match. Vaibhav also set a world record by hitting 15 sixes in a single innings, surpassing Australia’s Michael Hill’s record of 12 sixes. He became the third Indian and the sixth batter in the world to score a century in an Under-19 World Cup final. In the process, he broke Unmukt Chand’s record of 111 runs for the highest individual score by an Indian in a final.
He also registered the second-fastest century, reaching the milestone in just 55 balls. Earlier in the tournament, Australia’s Will Malazuk had scored a 51-ball century against Japan. Vaibhav finished the tournament with a record 30 sixes, surpassing South Africa’s Dewald Brevis and New Zealand’s Finn Allen, who had 18 sixes each. By hitting the most sixes in a single innings, he also broke his own previous record of 14 sixes. Additionally, he smashed the fastest 150 in just 71 balls, breaking England’s Ben Mayes’ record of 98 balls.
With a total of 1,412 runs, Vaibhav surpassed Pakistan’s Babar Azam’s record of 1,271 runs, further enriching India’s glorious cricketing legacy.
