Bulawayo, Jan 18 (.) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his rapid rise on the global stage with a composed knock under pressure as India defeated Bangladesh by 16 runs to maintain their unbeaten run at the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup and tighten their grip on Group B.
Batting first, India posted 238 in their allotted 50 overs, built around a crucial innings of 72 off 67 balls from Sooryavanshi. The 14-year-old once again showed maturity beyond his years, adapting to challenging conditions on a sluggish surface to anchor the innings when it mattered most.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) website, India captain Ayush Mhatre praised the youngster’s temperament, highlighting his ability to balance patience with intent in a high-pressure situation.
“(Sooryavanshi) showed the maturity that he’s got and just batted really brilliantly. He showed patience also; the team needed him to stay there, so he stayed in,” said Mhatre. “It was initially tough conditions because there was some stickiness in the wicket and the ball was coming a little bit (on the) slower side, back of the length, so there was some difficulty.”
“But the way that (Abhigyan Kundu and Sooryavanshi) batted, and (later in) the innings, (Kanishk Chouhan) batted well,” he added.
Sooryavanshi found solid support from Abhigyan Kundu, who top-scored with a patient 80 off 112 balls. The duo added a vital 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket, stabilising the innings after early setbacks.
Kanishk Chouhan later provided momentum at the death with a brisk 28 off 26 balls to push India to a competitive total.
In reply, Bangladesh’s chase was disrupted by rain, resulting in a revised target of 165 from 29 overs under the DLS method. Despite a spirited effort, the Tigers were bowled out for 146 in 28.3 overs, falling short of the target.
Mhatre credited the overall team effort and singled out Kundu’s consistency with the bat during the tournament.
“(Kundu) is batting really well in this tournament, and is in form also, so it’s really nice for us that he’s batting really brilliantly and scoring some runs for our team,” Mhatre continued. “It really was a terrific victory from our boys; it was really big.”
“We just play our game, we’re not thinking much (about that game yet), just (about) playing our cricket.”
With two wins from two matches, India now have a break before their next group fixture against New Zealand on January 24 in Bulawayo.
. VAN .