HARARE Zimbabwe (AFP): Fourteen-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi hammered a stunning 175 from just 80 balls as India thumped England by 100 runs in the Under-19 ODI World Cup final in Harare on Friday (Feb 6).
Suryavanshi, who has already made history by becoming the youngest player to post a century in the Indian Premier League, lashed 15 fours and 15 sixes in his innings which saw him score his last 151 runs from just 56 balls.
The left-handed opener was finally caught behind by England captain Thomas Rew off Manny Lumsden to leave India on 251-3 in the 26th over. They closed their 50 overs on 411-9.
England launched a spirited attempt at making the runs with opener Ben Dawkins making 66 and middle-order batter Caleb Falconer striking a sublime 115 from 67 balls.
Falconer was last man out, superbly caught by Khilan Patel, with England all out for 311 in 40.2 overs and India winning the title for the sixth time.
"I had faith in my skills that I can contribute in big games and today it happened," said Suryavanshi who was named player of the match and player of the tournament, having finished with 439 runs in seven innings at 62.71.
Suryavanshi launched himself on to the international scene in 2024 as a 13-year-old with a 58-ball century against Australia in his Under-19 debut.
Picked up by Rajasthan Royals, Suryavanshi then announced himself on the world stage by belting his first ball fearlessly for six on his IPL debut.
Nine days later, he clubbed the Gujarat Titans bowlers to all parts as he scored the second-fastest hundred in tournament history.
The teenager brought up his century off 35 balls with 11 sixes and seven fours to stand behind only West Indies great Chris Gayle, who took 30 balls to make a ton in 2013. - AFP
