After leading India to a historic, record-extending sixth Under-19 World Cup title with his gobsmacking 80-ball 175 in the final against England in Harare on Friday, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi revealed a conversation with his father. “I spoke to my dad and told him that half the dream is done. But the other half, playing the World Cup for the senior India team, is still left,” he said in an interview with Ray Sportz Cricket. “Every player dreams of playing for the senior team and winning. That is my focus from here.” The 14-year-old was named Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament for his extraordinary batting. After a modest start in the tournament, Sooryavanshi dominated towards the business end, living up to the immense hype surrounding him. His 33-ball 68 in the semifinal against Afghanistan paved the way for India to chase down a steep 311-run target, before he played arguably one of the greatest knocks in any tournament final. Sooryavanshi opened up about being unable to sleep on the eve of the final, admitting he felt the pressure. “I did not sleep the whole night and just got an hour or two of sleep. It was a very big game. We can say that we will play it as a normal game but there was pressure on us. There was pressure of the final and in every country, you can play the U19 World Cup again, but in India, you cannot, so it is a memorable moment to play and win the final. There are very few chances. We had that chance,” he said. India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre also scored a half-century in the final and watched from the non-striker’s end as Sooryavanshi unleashed his attack. Mhatre tried to keep the young star grounded even as he cleared the boundary at will. “Ayush was telling me to take singles and play sensibly when I was close to my hundred. But I knew that as long as I was at the crease, if I dominated, we could bat England out of the game. We put the match in our favour in the first innings itself. It wasn’t just my performance, everyone contributed, and that’s why we scored 411,” Sooryavanshi added. The victory over England marked India’s sixth Under-19 title and their 10th appearance in the final. Since 2016, India have reached every title clash.
‘I did not sleep the whole night’: Under-19 World Cup hero Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opens up on final pressure before historic 175
