India U1`9 claimed a dramatic victory against Bangladesh U19 in the rain-marred group stage contest of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 on Saturday (January 17).

After Bangladesh U19 sent the Indian team to bat first, India U19 scored 238 all out in 48.4 overs in the 49-over fixture. Bangladesh U19 were 90/2 in 17.2 overs when the rain once again interrupted the game. Later, Bangladesh had a revised target of 165 runs in 29 overs. Bangladesh were all out for 146 runs, as the five-time champions India U19 won the match by 18 runs in the DLS method. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhigyan Kundu played important innings

In the Indian innings, while three of the top four batters failed to reach double-digit scores, opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a mature innings and had an important 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Abhigyan Kundu, as both played a very important role for India in managing a challenging total.  

While Vaibhav scored 72 off 67 balls with six fours and three sixes, Abhigyan scored 80 off 112 balls with four fours and three sixes. Also, Kanishk Chouhan scored a useful 28 runs, while the last batter Deepesh Devendran scored 11 runs. 

Bangladesh right-arm pacer Al Fahad recorded a fifer with his excellent bowling figures of 9.2-1-38-5. Also, Iqbal Hossain Emon (2/45) and captain Azizul Hakim (2/42) got two wickets each. 

Watch: Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s sensational catch dismisses Saiun Ratul in Ind vs Ban U19 World Cup 2026

Vihaan Malhotra triggered Bangladesh's late collapse

In reply, opener Rifat Beg and captain Azizul Hakim provided a solid 56-run partnership for the second wicket before Beg was dismissed for a run-a-ball 37 runs. Also, the skipper had a strong 44-run partnership with Kalam Siddiki for the third wicket. But once that partnership was broken, Bangladesh failed to handle the required run-rate pressure of the revised target. 

While Kalam was dismissed for 15 runs, skipper Azizul scored 51 off 72 balls with four fours and one six. Only Rizan Hossai (15) was the other Bangladesh batter to reach a double-digit score, as they lost their last seven wickets for only 22 runs. 

Player of the Match Vihaan Malhotra got four wickets as he had the bowling figures of 4-0-14-4. Also, Khilan Patel (2/35) picked up two wickets, while three other Indian bowlers took one wicket each. 

Despite early strikes and challenging batting conditions, the 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has produced a very mature innings by continuing his powerful batting in the India U19 vs Bangladesh U19 group stage match in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026.

After Bangladesh U19 captain Azizul Hakim chose to field first, India U19 lost two wickets for 12 runs in three overs. Later, the opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Vihaan Malhotra had a 41-run partnership before Vihaan was dismissed for seven off 24 balls. Out of the first four batters, only the opener Vaibhav managed to reach the double-digit score, as his batting helped India to fight back early in the game.

India U19 have faced the tough batting conditions, where the opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi handled them in a very mature way while continuing his aggressiveness. While he was very patient in the tough batting pitch, he never wasted an opportunity of the bad balls that helped his strike rate remain very high. 

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 30-ball 50; youngest to score 50 runs in U19 World Cup

With the help of five fours and three sixes, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completed his first half-century in the tournament in just 30 balls. He became the youngest batter to record 50 runs in the competition's history. While he was dominating, none of the other Indian batters managed to reach a double-digit score. Vaibhav had a patience fourth wicket partnership with Abhigyan Kundu, where they added 62 runs. 

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 😲

ICC Mens U19 WC | 🇮🇳 🆚 🇧🇩👉 LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/DGP23ftABG pic.twitter.com/LchANceMDr

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 17, 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 72 runs

With the help of six fours and three sixes, Vaibhav scored 72 off 67 balls before losing his wicket in the 27th over. The bowling change worked for Bangladesh, as Iqbal Hossain Emon took the wicket of Vaibhav, while Al Fahad took the catch.  

The United States of America Under-19 side will take on India Under-19 in the opening match of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Thursday, January 15. The USA youngsters head into the tournament after suffering a defeat against Pakistan U19 in a warm-up game and will be keen to bounce back strongly on the big stage. With this being their first fixture of the competition, they will be eager to make a positive impression and set the tone for their campaign.

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India U19, meanwhile, arrive as one of the favourites to lift the title despite losing their final warm-up match against England U19. The team has been in excellent form overall, having suffered only one defeat in their last ten outings. With a formidable batting lineup and plenty of depth, India will be confident of making a winning start. They also hold the advantage of having beaten the USA in their only previous encounter and will look to replicate that success in this high-profile opener.

U19 World Cup 2026, Match 1, USA vs IND: Live Streaming Details

U19 World Cup 2026, Match 1, USA vs IND: Probable Playing XI

United States Of America U19 (USA U19):

Utkarsh Srivastava (c), Sahil Garg, Amrinder Gill, Arjun Mahesh (wk), Nitish Sudini, Rishabh Shimpi, Ritvik Appidi, Adit Kappa, Sabrish Prasad, Shiv Shani, Rayaan Taj

India U19 (IND U19):

India U19 claimed a big win against Scotland U19 in the warm-up game ahead of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, where the opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played another fiery innings to earn the Player of the Match award. 

After Scotland U19 chose to field first at Bulawayo on Saturday (January 10), India U19 scored 374/8 in 50 overs. In reply, Scotland U19 were restricted to 112/9 in 23.2 overs before rain stopped the game, while they had a revised target of 234 runs in 23.2 overs, as India U19 won the match by 121 runs in the DLS method. 

Four Indian batters scored half-centuries, including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 96 runs

Opener Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a stormy start with a 70-run partnership for the first wicket in seven overs. Skipper Ayush scored 22 runs before losing his wicket, while Vaibhav continued his fiery batting performance with Aaron George. 

Apart from opener Ayush Mhatre, the other four among the top five batters scored 50s in the first innings. Vaibhav scored 96 off 50 balls with nine fours and seven sixes, and he had a 78-run partnership with Aaron for the second wicket. Aaron scored 61 runs off 58 balls with eight fours. 

The no.4 batter Vihaan Malhotra scored 77 runs off 81 balls with six fours and one six, while the no.5 batter Abhigyan Kundu scored 55 off 48 balls with seven fours. Also, RS Ambrish had a cameo of 28 not out in 24 balls with one four and one six. 

Scotland used 10 bowlers, while the right-arm pacer Ollie Jones took four wickets with the bowling figures of 10-0-70-4.

Only four Scottish batters managed to reach double-digit scores

In Scotland's innings, only four batters managed to reach double-digit scores. Those batters were opener Theo Robinson (30), the no.3 batter Max Chaplin (22), the no.7 batter Manu Saraswat (23*), and the last batter Jake Woodhouse (12*).

Among the Indian bowlers, Khilan Patel (3/4) and Deepesh Devendran (3/14) got three wickets each, while Mohamed Enaan (2/24) had two wickets. 

India U19 star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played another fiery knock before the beginning of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, as he thrashed the Scottish bowlers in the warm-up fixture. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completed 50 runs in 27 balls

After Scotland U19 chose to field first, opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a fiery start, as he had a 70-run opening partnership with the skipper Ayush Mhatre in just seven overs. While Ayush was dismissed for 22 off 19 balls, Vaibhav continued his strong strikes, as the 14-year-old left-handed opening batter completed his half-century in just 27 balls with a sixer. He smashed six fours and three sixes to reach his 50-run mark.

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 96 runs off 50 balls

Vaibhav had another 78-run partnership with Aaron George for the second wicket, as the left-handed opening batter smashed 96 off 50 balls with nine fours and seven sixes before losing his wicket. Manu Saraswat dismissed him in the 17th over, while India U19 scored 148 runs, as Vaibhav missed out on his back-to-back century after scoring a 63-ball hundred in the previous game. Also, Aaron scored 61 off 58 balls with eight fours.

Vaibhav's last 11 innings scores were 171, 5, 50, 9, 26, 190, 31, 11, 68, 127, and 96 runs. The left-handed opening batter is putting huge fears into the bowlers with his non-stop power-hitting batting performances. 

While Vaibhav is undoubtedly a must-watch player for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, some Indian cricket fans also feel that the 14-year-old is ready enough for senior cricket.

Zimbabwe and Namibia will host the 16th edition of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup from January 15 to February 6. Four-time champions Australia are the defending champions, while India hold the record with the most titles by winning it five times. While India last won in the 2022 edition, they reached the Final in the last five editions, winning twice and finishing runners-up three times. 

India U19 captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slammed a 63-ball century against the hosts South Africa U19 in the last game of the three-match series on Wednesday (January 7).

After the hosts chose to field first, the Indian openers provided a solid start. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Aaron George set a 227-run partnership for the first wicket in just 25.4 overs. 

See Also: India U19 squad for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 127 off 74 balls 

Skipper Vaibhav hit his third Youth ODI century in just 63 balls with the help of six fours and eight sixes. After scoring 127 runs off 74 balls with nine fours and 10 sixes, Vaibhav was dismissed in the 26th over. 

Also, the other opener Aaron Geroge hit a century, as he scored 118 off 106 balls with 16 fours before losing his wicket, while India U19 were batting at 279/2 in 34.5 overs. 

Previously, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit two Youth ODI centuries, 143 off 78 balls against the hosts England U19 last July and 171 off 95 balls against UAE U19 last December during the Asia Cup U19.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in great form

Vaibhav is in great form ahead of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, which Zimbabwe and Namibia will host between January 15 and February 6. In the last 10 innings, he slammed three centuries and two more half-centuries. Apart from scoring 171 against the UAE U19 during the Asia Cup U19 and the latest century, his other century in the last 10 innings was 190 for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, where his team had the record-breaking total of 574/6 in 50 overs. 

Even in the last game, where India U19 secured the series with a comfortable victory, the Indian skipper Vaibhav scored 68 off just 24 balls with one four and 10 sixes. 

Visitors India U19 secure the three-match Youth ODI series against the hosts South Africa U19 on Monday (January 5), after claiming an eight-wicket win in the revised target chase in the second game of the series. India U19 have produced some strong performances just ahead of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, which Zimbabwe and Namibia will host between January 15 and February 6, 2026. 

Trailing the series by 1-0, the hosts chose to bat first. While South Africa U19 scored 245 all out in 49.3 overs, India U19 chased down the final revised target of 174 runs after losing two wickets with 21 balls remaining. 

Kishan Singh shone with the ball for India U19

The no.4 batter Jason Rowles slammed a century in the first innings, which played a huge role for South Africa U19 to manage a good total, as only two more home batters managed to score 20+ runs in that innings. While Rowles scored 114 off 113 balls with seven fours and three sixes, opener Adnaan Lagadien (25) and Daniel Bosman (31) managed to score some crucial runs. 

Among the Indian bowlers, the left-arm pacer Kishan Singh got four wickets with the bowling figures of 8.3-1-46-4, the right-arm medium pacer RS Ambrish picked up two wickets (8-0-47-2). 

Skipper Vaibhav Suryavanshi slammed 10 sixes to score 68 runs

In chase, captain Vaibhav Suryavanshi recorded a 19-ball half-century, as the southpaw scored 68 runs off 24 balls with the help of one four and 10 sixes. Later, India U19 got the revised target of 230 runs in 42 overs, which was once again reduced to 174 runs target in 27 overs. 

While the other Indian opener Aaron George scored 20 runs, Vedant Trivedi and Abhigyan Kundu remained not out with 31 runs and 48 runs, respectively. India U19 comfortably won the game by eight wickets to secure the series with one match yet to be played. 

In the second Youth ODI against the hosts South Africa U19, India U19 captain Vaibhav Suryavanshislammed a firing half-century with almost 90 percent of scoring shot was sixes in the chase of the revised target.

While South Africa U19 were all out for 245 runs in 49.3 overs, India U19 later got the revised target of 230 runs in 42 overs under the DLS method, when the visitors were batting at 103/2 in just 11 overs. Even before the revised target set after the rain interruption, the Indian captain for this tour already produced his powerful batting performance before losing his wicket.

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 68 runs from 24 balls, thanks to 10 sixes

Captain Vaibhav Suryavanshi completed his half-century in just 19 balls with the help of eight sixes. With the help of 10 sixes and one four, Vaibhav scored 68 runs off just 24 balls before losing his wicket in the ninth over. Out of his 68 runs, 60 runs came from only sixes. 

In the eighth over, when Vaibhav completed his half-century, he slammed three consecutive sixes along with a four in the first four balls of that over. 

Skipper Vaibhav had a 67-run partnership with his opening partner Aaron George, who scored 20 off 19 balls with three fours. 

Jason Rowles scored century for South Africa U19

Earlier in the first innings, Jason Rowles slammed a century by scoring 114 runs off 113 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Middle-order batter Daniel Bosman (3`1) and opener Adnaan Lagadien (25) were the only other batters to reach the 20-run mark in that innings. Among the Indian bowlers, the left-arm pacer Kishan Singh bagged four wickets (4/46).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named the complete squad for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, where Ayush Mhatre will lead the side, and the superstar Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named in the squad. 

Zimbabwe and Namibia will host the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 with 16 participating teams, which will run from January 15 to February 6, 2026. It will be the 16th ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, while India U19 are holding the record number of titles with five times. In the last edition (2024) in South Africa, India lost the Final against Australia by 79 runs. 

India U19 played all the last five U19 Cricket World Cup Finals, winning twice and finishing runners-up three times.

Before the U19 World Cup, India U19 will play a three-match Youth ODI series against the hosts South Africa. Willowmoore Park in Benoni will host all three Youth ODIs on January 3, 5, and 7, 2026. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will lead the Indian U19 team in the ODI series in South Africa.

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India U19 complete squad for a 3-match Youth ODI series in South Africa

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Captain), Aaron George (vice-captain), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar

Indian squad for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026

In the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026, India U19 team is in Group A along with Bangladesh, New Zealand, and the United States. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super 6 stage, where each team will play two games. 

India U19 complete squad for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2026

Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vihaan Malhotra (vice-captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.

🚨 News 🚨

India's U19 squad for South Africa tour and ICC Men’s U19 World Cup announced.

Details▶️https://t.co/z21VRlpvjg#U19WorldCup pic.twitter.com/bL8pkT5Ca2

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 27, 2025