Harare, Feb 5 (.) India’s Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre lauded teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the young batter’s explosive knock helped India storm into the final of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup with a historic seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in Harare on Wednesday.
Chasing down the highest total ever recorded in an Under-19 World Cup, India rode on a blazing start from the top order, with 14-year-old Vaibhav setting the tone through a rapid 68 off just 33 balls.
The left-hander smashed four sixes and five fours, registering his third half-century of the tournament and dismantling the Afghan bowling attack inside the powerplay.
While opening partner Aaron George anchored the chase with a composed 115 to earn the Player of the Match award, Mhatre highlighted Vaibhav’s impact in easing pressure early in the innings.
“It was really important for us because after 10 overs we had 90 runs and that was fabulous for us,” Mhatre quoted by ICC. “He just released the pressure, and we just wanted to build the innings. So it was really easy for us also to build the innings.”
India raced to 90 inside the first 10 overs before Mhatre (62) and George stitched together a steady century partnership to stabilise the chase. Vihaan Malhotra then ensured a smooth finish with an unbeaten 38 as India crossed the line with more than eight overs to spare.
Explaining the batting approach after the flying start, Mhatre said the plan was to keep things simple. “There was a simple discussion after 10 overs and 90 runs on the board. We had to just bat for a long time, look for singles and doubles, and take a boundary off loose balls. Nothing special, just play on the merit of the ball.”
The victory sealed India’s place in the Under-19 World Cup final for the sixth consecutive edition, where they will face England, the tournament’s only other unbeaten side, in the title clash on Friday in Harare.
Aware of the challenge ahead, Mhatre stressed the importance of sticking to basics against a strong English side. “England is also a fabulous team. They have played some really nice games in this tournament,” he said.
“But we have a simple plan, play our game, not look at the opponent, play each ball on its merits, adapt to the conditions, and play simple cricket.”
. VAN KK