Harare, Feb 6 (UNI) India U19’s record-breaking victory over England U19 in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 final at Harare Sports Club on Friday was a moment of glory, hard work, and belief. The triumph was not just about lifting a trophy, but about trusting the process, backing the team, and turning every setback into a stepping stone, a lesson the young champions have clearly embraced.
Player of the Match and Player of the Series Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the linchpin of India’s innings, smashing a sensational 175 to keep the opposition bowlers under constant pressure. Speaking after the match, Sooryavanshi said, “Feeling really good… all the preparation, every match, every practice, every support staff effort- it all brought us here. We trusted ourselves, played our game, and now we are champions. This is for the team, the journey, and the process.”
The 19-year-old highlighted the months of preparation behind the success. “The main goal was not to take too much pressure. We focused on believing in ourselves and trusting the process we’ve been following since the beginning of the tournament. The preparation started from the Asia Cup and even before that. For the last eight to nine months, the support staff and the team have been working together. That preparation has played a huge role in getting us to where we are today. I’m very confident in the skill set I’ve developed. I know I can perform in big games and under pressure, so I stayed confident and kept believing,” he added.
All-rounder Abhigyan Kundu praised the team’s patience and resilience against a strong England side. “Sometimes, I felt the pressure that England were batting a little bit stronger. So we just had to have the patience and back ourselves and our bowlers. They were extremely good and the lines which they bowled were extremely good,” he said.
Kundu also reflected on India’s U19 journey, describing it as one of redemption and growth. “We have won six titles. Now we are going to celebrate it like we did when we were playing match by match. It’s the hard work which we have paid for the last two years and the one which we lost two years back against Australia. So we have taken revenge. Now we are the defending champions for the next World Cup,” he said.
On Sooryavanshi’s batting heroics, Kundu added, “He played extremely fabulously. The way he batted, he kept the England bowlers on the back foot. What I like the most is that he played his natural game and it was very good.”
Assistant coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said the victory highlighted the impact of the team management and the Centre of Excellence. “It’s a great feeling and I’ve been here before, but for these boys, it’s really going to be special. After the fight that the England team put up, I think it was a fabulous game and from such a situation, it’s great. It is one of the major roles on the work of the team management.”
“That’s what we do at the Centre of Excellence, BCCI. And so we are happy to see the development. The trophy is obviously what we play for, but the development is there and that’s happening. Laxman’s here with me… it’s good to see. It’s a good feeling. Just quiet. We’ll just have our dinner and go back to sleep,” he said.
The India U19 triumph is a story of belief, perseverance, and preparation paying off. It underscores that success is not only about winning trophies, but about trusting the journey, backing your team, and converting setbacks into stepping stones, leaving the young champions poised for even greater heights in the future.
