Suryavanshi’s 175 powers India to massive total in U-19 World Cup final

HARARE: At just 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi produced a knock for the ages, tearing into England’s attack with a breathtaking 175 off 80 balls in the Under-19 World Cup final on Friday to put India firmly in command.

Opening the batting after India won the toss, Suryavanshi set the tone from the outset, combining brute power with startling ease of strokeplay as he smashed 15 fours and 15 sixes in an innings that felt less like a junior final and more like a senior white-ball masterclass. India surged to 411 for 9 in their 50 overs — the highest total in an Under-19 World Cup final.

Suryavanshi’s innings rewrote the record books. His score eclipsed Unmukt Chand’s unbeaten 111 against Australia in the 2012 final to become the highest individual score in a tournament final, and also overtook Raj Bawa’s 162 not out from 2022 as the highest score by an Indian in Under-19 World Cup history.

The landmarks came quickly. He raced to fifty off 32 balls, reached his century in just 55 deliveries, and barely slowed as England’s bowlers searched in vain for answers. The sixes flowed freely — over midwicket, long-on and straight down the ground — as Harare Sports Club watched on in disbelief.

Suryavanshi’s stay ended in the 26th over when he was caught behind attempting a slog sweep, but the standing ovation told its own story. England’s players gathered to shake his hand as he walked off, acknowledging a performance that had tilted the final sharply India’s way.

The knock capped a tournament of extraordinary hitting. With 30 sixes across the competition, Suryavanshi surpassed Dewald Brevis’s previous Under-19 World Cup record of 22, set in 2022.

Already a familiar name despite his age, Suryavanshi burst into the wider spotlight last year when he became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket, blasting 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He had also shown his fondness for England’s bowling earlier, scoring 143 off 78 balls for India Under-19s in Worcester last July.

India are chasing a record-extending sixth Under-19 World Cup title, having last lifted the trophy in 2022, while England are aiming for their second crown after their triumph in 1998. After Suryavanshi’s onslaught, the final already had a defining moment — and a new name etched into Under-19 World Cup folklore.