Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering 175 off 80 balls propelled India Under‑19 to an 80‑run triumph over England in the U19 World Cup final, the match ending at 6:15 pm IST.
The turning point arrived in the 19th over when he struck four boundaries in a single over, shifting the momentum and pushing India to a 40‑run lead.
Kapil Dev, who has watched many young talents fade, warned that ability alone isn’t enough. "It’s too early. Does he have the ability? Yes. But many have faded," the former captain told the Times of India, citing Vinod Kambli as a cautionary tale.
Sooryavanshi’s rise has been meteoric: he smashed the fastest fifty in List A cricket (11 balls), scored 94 off 29 against Sri Lanka A, and claimed the Orange Cap in the 2026 IPL season after breaking several batting records.
Now he sits behind the established opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in India’s T20I squad. The next test for the teenager will come when India faces England in the upcoming T20I series, a stage where his true potential will be measured.