Harare, February 6, 2026: Opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a sensational 175-run innings to put India in a commanding position against England in the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 final, breaking multiple records along the way.
Sooryavanshi’s 175 is the first 150-plus score in a U19 World Cup playoff match, surpassing Nicholas Pooran’s 143 for the West Indies against Australia in the 2014 quarter-final. In U19 finals, the previous highest was Unmukt Chand’s unbeaten 111 against Australia in Townsville in 2012.
The innings also ranks as the second-highest score by an Indian in Youth ODIs, only behind Ambati Rayudu’s 177* against England U19 in Taunton in 2002, while Sooryavanshi’s earlier 171 against UAE U19 in Dubai this past December is third on the list.
At 14 years and 316 days, he became the youngest player to score a U19 World Cup hundred, breaking Babar Azam’s record of 15 years and 92 days set against West Indies in 2010. Only Sooryavanshi (4 centuries) and Bangladesh’s Najmul Hossain Shanto (1 century) have scored Youth ODI hundreds before turning 15.
Earlier this season, he had also become the youngest List A centurion at 14 years and 272 days during the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Arunachal Pradesh.
Record-breaking performance
- Fastest 150 in U19 World Cup history: Reached in 71 balls, breaking the previous 98-ball record by England’s Ben Mayes.
- Second-fastest U19 World Cup hundred: Achieved in 55 balls, behind Australia’s Will Malajczuk (51 balls against Japan).
- Highest strike-rate in a U19 World Cup innings (50+ balls): 218.75 during his 175 off 80 balls.
- Most sixes in a Youth ODI innings: 15, surpassing his own previous record of 14.
- Most sixes in a single U19 World Cup tournament: 30, eclipsing the previous record of 18 held by Dewald Brevis (2022) and Finn Allen (2016, 2018).
- Four 50-plus scores in the tournament all with strike-rates above 100, a first in U19 World Cup history.
Sooryavanshi’s total of 439 runs in the 2026 tournament ranks fourth in a single edition, behind Dewald Brevis (506 in 2022), Shikhar Dhawan (505 in 2004), and Brett Williams (471 in 1988), while Afghanistan’s Faisal Shinozada sits fifth with 435 runs.
Sooryavanshi’s innings not only showcases his prodigious talent but also positions India strongly in the U19 World Cup final, with fans and cricket analysts hailing the 14-year-old as one of the brightest prospects in world cricket.
