Vaibhav Suryavanshi shines again; India U-19 wins first ODI against England

New Delhi (India) June 28: India U-19 defeated England U-19 by six wickets in the first Youth ODI played in Hove on Friday. Vaibhav Suryavanshi maintained his excellent form by scoring 48 runs only on 19 balls.

A flying start had already been guaranteed by his determination and captain Ayush Mhatre added a fast 21 at the opposite end. England was obviously lost from the match with the pair's opening partnership of 71 in less than eight overs. Vice-captain Abhigyan Kundu led the chase with a confident and undefeated 45 off 34 deliveries, securing the victory with a six in the 24th over despite India losing a few wickets in the middle overs.

Suryavanshi has scored 48 runs in just 18 balls which included three boundaries and five sixes. The majority of his runs came from Jack Home and James Minto in consecutive overs. After shaking the England attack into submission with his deadly approach, the right-hander missed his half century due to a slog-sweep off Ralphie Albert. 

Vaibhav shared a Bollywood-inspired social media message after leading India to victory. He posted a photo of himself and Kundu with Mangesh Gaikwad, the India U-19 sports massage therapist, playing the well-known Bollywood song "Aashayein" from the film Iqbal. 

The 14-year-old Suryavanshi shot to fame last year when he hit a century in a youth Test match against Australia. He signed an IPL contract with the Rajasthan Royals because of his explosive batting style. Suryavanshi made a spectacular entrance into the T20 league by hitting an incredible 101 off just 38 deliveries in a match against the Gujarat Titans. He had competed for India in the U19 Asia Cup the previous year.

A strong bowling effort in the first ODI between the England and India U19 sides saw the hosts wiped out for just 174 in 42.2 overs. Kanishk Chouhan was a brilliant bowler who gave up just 20 runs for three wickets during a cost-effective 10-over performance. Mohamed Enaan, RS Ambrish and Henil Patel each took two wickets.

England U19 opted to bat first earlier in the day, however they were dismissed for 174 in 42.2 overs. The hosts' best scorer, Rocky Flintoff. He scored 56 off 90 balls that included three sixes.

In the current three-match series, India U19 is ahead 1-0. The second and third games will take place at Northampton on June 30 and July 2. Worcester will host the fourth and fifth One-Dayers on July 5 and 7.

India U19 Squad includes Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R. S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Anmoljeet Singh, D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak.

Aadrika Tayal