India U19 vs England U19

February 8, 2026. Harare Sports Club. The ICC U19 World Cup final. India U19 vs England U19. Chasing 292 to win the World Cup.

What followed was arguably the greatest innings ever played in age-group cricket — and one of the greatest in the history of any ICC event.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi walked in at number one and simply took the game away from England. He scored 175 off 80 balls, hitting 14 sixes and 9 fours. The strike rate of 218.75 was absurd for a World Cup final. He wasn't reckless — he was clinical. Every boundary was a controlled stroke. Every six was a deliberate, calculated hit.

His century came in 52 balls. His 150 came in 71 balls. By the time he was dismissed for 175, India needed just 117 more runs with 9 wickets in hand. The match was won. The World Cup was India's.

The 175 surpassed every individual score in the history of ICC World Cup finals — not just U19, but senior World Cups too. Unmukt Chand's 111* in the 2012 U19 final, Adam Gilchrist's 149 in the 2007 ODI World Cup final — all surpassed by a 14-year-old from Samastipur.

Vaibhav finished the tournament with 439 runs at a strike rate of 169.49, 30 sixes in 6 matches, and was named Player of the Tournament. India went unbeaten — 6 wins in 6 matches — with their youngest player as the driving force.

Ian Bishop's commentary call said it all: "Remember the name — Vaibhav Suryavanshi! This boy from Bihar has announced himself to the world."