Harare [Zimbabwe], February 6 (ANI): India U19 overpowered England U19 by 100 runs in a high-octane ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 final on Friday, securing their sixth title in the tournament's history.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, the England captain Thomas Rew said, "We showed a good effort," reflecting on his team's spirited chase of India's mammoth total.
After electing to bat first, India posted a record-breaking 411/9, powered by a scintillating 175-run innings from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed 15 fours and 15 sixes off just 80 balls. Captain Ayush Mhatre contributed 53 off 51 balls, while Abhigyan Kundu added a brisk 40 off 31 balls. Despite a valiant 115 from England's Caleb Falconer, the young English side fell short of the imposing 412-run target.
Rew praised India's destructive start and Suryavanshi's performance: "It was definitely tough and on a good surface, when he got going, yeah, we struggled to know what to do. All the way through the tournament, we've seen the ability for India to be destructive at the top of the innings... We did our research. We were just going to sit guys on the ring and hit the top of stumps for as long as possible, use our change-ups, and that's what's worked for us previously against India as well, but today Vaibhav came off and, yeah, fair play to him," according to Cricbuzz.
He also highlighted his team's efforts in chasing the record target: "Caleb, unbelievable innings, and Dawks to get some runs as well. Yeah, just a testament to the mindset, really, to go out there and try and chase that. We were really excited, actually. We could go out there and play our shots, have some fun, and yeah, unfortunately, we didn't get over the line, but we showed a good effort and yeah, some great fight from all of us."
Rew acknowledged the support of family and fans during the tournament: "It means a lot. Obviously, we're really thankful for everyone who's come over here. My parents, our families, yeah, it means a lot. And to have that support from both over here and back home, yeah, it's very special."
India's dominant performance also set a new record for sixes in a Youth ODI final, hitting 31 sixes -- well clear of the previous record of 23. The victory adds to India's Under-19 World Cup wins in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, and 2022, while England are yet to win their second title since 1998.
Brief Scores: India: 411/9 (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 175, Ayush Mhatre 53, James Minto 3/63) beat England: 311 (Caleb Falconer 115, Ben Dawkins 66, RS Ambrish 3/56). (ANI)